NFL Legend Barry Sanders Discusses a Longtime Health Struggle

It may technically be the offseason for the NFL, but with the league’s annual draft set to happen next week, football is still making headlines. One former player who got plenty of headlines during his incredible career was Barry Sanders—and now he’s opening up about a recent health scare that led to an important diagnosis.

Sanders, who played his entire career for the Detroit Lions before retiring in 1999, is widely regarded as one of the best NFL running backs of all time. But last year over the Father’s Day weekend, he experienced a heart attack, which ultimately resulted in him receiving a sleep apnea diagnosis.

As many as 30 million Americans have sleep apnea, though only about 6 million have been officially diagnosed, according to the American Medical Association. Not only is sleep apnea dangerous because it means there’s interrupted oxygen flow during sleep, but it’s also been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Now, Sanders is partnering with the mattress company Sleep Number to spread the news about a helpful new app the company just launched, aimed at detecting breathing issues you may experience while sleeping.

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The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: Barry, can you tell us a bit about the heart health scare you experienced?

Barry Sanders: Last June I had a heart attack, which was a major turning point for me and my health. In the past year, I’ve learned so much from speaking with my doctors, who told me I suffer from sleep apnea, one of the early indicators leading up to the cardiac event. Since then, I’ve learned how important sleep is and how it impacts so many areas of your health.

The Healthy: How was your heart attack tied to your sleep apnea diagnosis, and what motivated you to really pay attention to this aspect of your health?

Barry Sanders: Receiving the sleep apnea diagnosis motivated me to better understand how serious sleep health truly is and how sleep apnea can impact it. Typically, when you talk about sleep, people mention how tired they might be after a night of poor sleep, but it’s so much deeper than that. Over 100 million people snore, and in my case, it was an indicator of sleep apnea, so I knew I needed to do something about it. That’s why I am really excited to partner with Sleep Number because their new BreatheIQ app listens to your snoring and provides insights on what your snore may mean and potential health implications. The app can connect users to a virtual care clinic to receive a virtual assessment for the potential diagnosis of sleep apnea.

The Healthy: It’s always so interesting to talk with former pro athletes because retirement can bring about such a huge change to routines in ways that affect their bodies. Was this true for you?

Barry Sanders: Retirement was a huge change for me both physically and mentally. As someone who was very active every day to no longer having the same regimen, it’s something I was careful of.

I learned how important it is to take care of yourself as you get older, and that includes your sleep health. It’s crucial to stay active and be mindful of other areas of your life like your diet [and] daily habits—and sleep is an integral part of that. I encourage people to check out BreatheIQ.com so they can take proactive steps toward improving their sleep health and get the help they may need.

The Healthy: What’s one self-care habit you refuse to skip?

Barry Sanders: Getting a good night’s sleep is a non-negotiable for me. My doctors said that when I would wake up occasionally throughout the night, it was likely because of my snoring and that I wasn’t getting enough oxygen. I now know that how you rest impacts so many areas of your health.

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