With the arrival of a new baby, former Marine Bo Robertson knew that his family could use a high-quality bed to help foster better sleep.

Robertson has experienced first-hand just how important sleep is to good health. He is currently an active-duty Air Force psychologist, who specializes in health psychology, helping patients who have sleep disorders.

“Sleep is the most important thing we do, and so many military members, including myself, get very poor sleep. With a new baby [...], a new, bigger, high-quality bed would go a long way for my wife and me," says Robertson.

His baby Nodin was born on Nov. 8 and is the Robertson's third child. Bo Robertson's military journey started in 2007 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He spent four years on active duty and finished a combat deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2008.

Robertson left the Marines in 2011 and went back to school. In 2021, he graduated with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Robertson is on paternity leave as of press time.

“Thank you for showing the military community love and support," Robertson says.

A Military Family Receives a Surprise From Sleep Number and the LA Rams

On Nov. 30, 2021, the Robertson family got two sweet surprises: Sleep Number gave the family a brand-new king size Sleep Number smart bed that was delivered by Rams outside linebacker Von Miller.

In addition to Miller, Maggie Meza, chapter director-San Diego for Blue Star Families, Elan Enriquez, the senior development manager at Blue Star Families, along with members of the Rams' media team and Sleep Number’s team, surprised the Robertson family at their home on a military base located in San Pedro, California.

Blue Star Families also gave each member of the five-person family Blue Star Families T-shirts.

Sleep Number and the NFL

Since 2018, Sleep Number has been recognized as the NFL's “Official Sleep + Wellness Partner."

Sleep Number has a partnership with the LA Rams and provides the NFL team's players, athletic trainers and coaches with sleep expertise.

Nearly 80 percent of Rams' players have purchased smart beds due to Sleep Number's partnership with the NFL, according to a press release posted on the Rams' website.

"At the Rams, we take a holistic approach to performance and sleep is a key component of not only keeping our players healthy but also key to recovery," said Reggie Scott, Rams vice president of Sports Medicine and Performance and president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, in the news release posted on the Rams' site. "We are pleased to partner with Sleep Number and leverage their expertise around the power of sleep to enhance our approach to total wellness."

Sleep Number's Partnership with Blue Star Families

For seven years, Sleep Number has teamed up with nonprofit Blue Star Families to help provide military families with high-quality Sleep Number mattresses. Blue Star Families offers programs and resources that have helped more than one million military families. In 2021, Sleep Number is offering sleep education tips for Blue Star Families. Blue Star Families' San-Diego based crew says they appreciate how a company like Sleep Number helps Blue Star achieves its goals.

According to the team at Blue Star Families, military life is hard because of the inflexible working hours, constant moves and long deployments—all of these challenges put a lot of stress on the family members and when the family is stressed, the service member is stressed. Yet, they have this very big, very important job to do.

Blue Star Families finds ways to address these challenges, by partnering with wonderful organizations, like Sleep Number. Because Sleep Number asked, 'How can we help?' this military family will receive the good night's sleep they deserve.

Sleep is a critical component of good health and is something many military families struggle with. With 57 percent of military families saying their child had experienced separation anxiety, worry, and/or sleeping problems as a result of the service member's deployment, according to Blue Star Families' 2018 Military Family Lifestyle Survey.

Sleep Number continues to help other military families get better sleep. Like this Minnesota bedroom makeover with the Minnesota Vikings. And this family surprise in partnership with the Dallas Cowboys.

Like diet and exercise, quality sleep is essential for optimal well-being and performance. Because everyone's sleep needs are different, Sleep Number® smart beds, with SleepIQ® technology inside, sense your movements and automatically adjust firmness, comfort and support to keep you both sleeping comfortably. Find your Sleep Number® setting for your best possible night's sleep.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Teresa K. Traverse is a Phoenix, Arizona-based editor and writer who covers lifestyle topics including health, science, travel and food. Her work has appeared in outlets including Bust, Parenting and Weight Watchers magazine and online at Refinery29, Brides and Rachael Ray. See more of her work at teresaktraverse.com.