{"id":35569,"date":"2025-10-01T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/?p=35569"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:35:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T18:35:31","slug":"brenna-huckaby-sleep-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/brenna-huckaby-sleep-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Paralympian Brenna Huckaby on How Sleep Helps Her Succeed in Para Snowboarding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>U.S. Paralympian Brenna Huckaby has found major success in Para snowboarding. The professional athlete was introduced to the sport after losing her right leg to cancer at age 14.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She won two gold medals at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and went on to win a gold and bronze medal at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. In addition to that, she\u2019s a five-time World Champion in Para snowboarding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Huckaby is also a mom to two daughters and an advocate for disability inclusion.&nbsp;In fact, she\u2019s the co-founder of Culxtured, a media collective aiming to revolutionize the way the world views Para sport.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Huckaby credits sleep as playing an important role in her life as an athlete. \u201cSleep is crucial to my athletic performance because if I\u2019m not sleeping well, I\u2019m not performing well,\u201d she says. \u201cI know that for me, every little bit of sleep counts.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We chatted with Huckaby, a Saatva ambassador, to learn more about her dreamy bedroom setup, her favorite ways to unwind before bed, and more. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Watch this video for more from Brenna Huckaby on her sleep routine:\u00a0<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brenna Huckaby: Powered by Sleep | Saatva\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q6ycL57jUd8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Brenna Huckaby\u2019s top sleep tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Create the ideal bedroom setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe most important thing for my sleep setup is an incredibly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/benefits-of-sleeping-in-complete-darkness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dark room<\/a>,\u201d says Huckaby. \u201cAnd if I don&#8217;t have that, I have to have an <span data-id=\"29822\" data-title=\"Silk Eye Mask\" data-text=\"eye mask\" class=\"tooltip\">eye mask<\/span>&nbsp;to make it dark. But that trumps everything else. I need a dark room.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for what Huckaby sleeps on, she says she prefers a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/firm-vs-medium-firm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">firm mattress<\/a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/firm-vs-soft-pillow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">firm pillow<\/a>. Because she\u2019s a combination sleeper (meaning she moves from back to side to stomach during the night), she likes to have a firm sleep surface to support her in all of these positions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"740\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/brenna-huckaby-sleep-routine.jpg\" alt=\"brenna huckaby\" class=\"wp-image-35571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/brenna-huckaby-sleep-routine.jpg 740w, https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/brenna-huckaby-sleep-routine-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Prioritize a solid nighttime and recovery routine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/10-nighttime-activities-help-relax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nighttime routine<\/a>&nbsp;is super sacred to me,\u201d shares Huckaby, \u201cbecause that\u2019s the one time I feel like I get to actually just relax after such a long day.\u201d She says her nighttime routine contains a lot of skincare and breathing meditation\u2014and watching TV once she\u2019s settled into bed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recovery throughout the day is key too. \u201cRecovery for me in my routine as an athlete comes in bite-sized pieces throughout the day,\u201d says Huckaby. \u201cIt isn\u2019t always one big routine.\u201d Recovery may look like stretching, eating a healthy meal, drinking water, or taking a hot shower. \u201cAll of these things equal recovery,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cMy nighttime routine is super sacred to me because that\u2019s the one time I feel like I get to actually just relax after such a long day.\u201d &#8211; Brenna Huckaby<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Establish healthy sleep habits with the family<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTalking to my kids about how to take care of themselves with sleep and balance and rest and all the things is hard because they want to just go-go-go-go-go,\u201d notes Huckaby. \u201cI always use the activities they want to do as the carrot and rest is how they get to where they want to go.\u201d For example, if her kids want to go to the pool, she tells them they\u2019ll have a much better time if they rest before they go.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to traveling with her family, Huckaby and her husband get their own bed, while their kids sleep in a separate bed. This allows her to get a good night\u2019s sleep as they all toss and turn throughout the night. \u201cI don\u2019t know how people do it with all the kids in the bed,\u201d she says. \u201cI love that for them, but it is not my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Track your daily habits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have been really working on my own wellness routine and understanding my body and what it needs and how to perform at my best,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve noticed throughout the years is sleep has been a non-negotiable for my training, my recovery, all the things.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something that\u2019s helped her figure this out is tracking her habits and paying attention to how they affect her. \u201cThat\u2019s something that has been a big win in my sleep journey,\u201d says Huckaby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, she\u2019s realized waking up early in the morning is essential to how she wants to get started with her day\u2014and this is only possible when she\u2019s taking care of her sleep habits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more on Brenna\u2019s sleep journey with Saatva in the leadup to the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, follow her on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bren_hucks\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@brennahuckaby\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TikTok<\/a>.&nbsp;Then, learn about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/saatva-official-mattress-restorative-sleep-provider-team-usa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how Saatva is supporting Team USA\u2019s sleep and restoration<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Paralympian Brenna Huckaby has found major success in Para snowboarding. The professional athlete was introduced to the sport after losing her right leg to cancer at age 14.&nbsp; She won two gold medals at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and went on to win a gold and bronze medal at the Beijing 2022 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":35570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[389,412],"tags":[],"coauthors":[417],"guest":[531],"host":[],"class_list":["post-35569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep-health","category-sleep-athletes","guest-brenna-huckaby"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35569"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36257,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35569\/revisions\/36257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35569"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=35569"},{"taxonomy":"guest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guest?post=35569"},{"taxonomy":"host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host?post=35569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}