The Cincinnati Reds are testing a new sleep technology aimed at boosting player performance on the field.
The Reds, since the start of spring training, have been collaborating with Charlotte-based sleep tech brand ChiliSleep. The team has been using ChiliSleep’s Ooler system, a temperature-regulated mattress pad that creates drops in body temperature to trigger or enhance deep sleep.
Players — including pitcher Jeff Hoffman, and several teammates who remain unnamed per name, image and likeness, or NIL, approvals — were given Ooler sleep systems and customized travel kits to transport the gear. They also have access to sleep coaching. ChiliSleep said improved sleep offers multiple benefits, including reduced travel fatigue, improved cognitive function, shortened recovery time and better performance on the field.
“Almost all cognitive mistakes that happen on the field are tied to fatigue, plain and simple,” ChiliSleep CEO and co-founder Tara Youngblood said in a release. “The exhaustion just isn’t there in April. Sleep deficit develops over the course of the season.”
Charles Leddon, director of sports science with the Reds since 2016, said Ooler has help limit wear-and-tear this year. Leddon, in his role with the front office, evaluates and implements new programs and technologies. The Reds were looking for a new tool to help players train and perform at their best, particularly as the team returned to a normal 162-game schedule, following an abbreviated 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“From a high-level perspective, the Ooler is literally the coolest thing our team has ever used,” Leddon said. “The guys just feel a whole lot better.”
In addition to the Reds, ChiliSleep is collaborating with the Seattle Mariners, considered the most traveled team in Major League Baseball. Both mark ChiliSleep’s first public partnerships.
ChiliSleep, which also offers a second temperature-controlled mattress pad and a hydro-capable weighted blanket, has been on the market since 2007. Kryo, ChiliSleep’s parent company, raised a $37 million funding round in December to continue building out its technology.
The Reds are 53-49 on the season and sit seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.
