Josh Allen Explains What’s Different About Preparing for NFL Season Since Becoming a Dad (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Josh Allen tells PEOPLE how his sleep schedule has changed since he and Hailee Steinfeld welcomed their daughter Harper in April
• The Bills quarterback says he’s “very excited” for the Bills’ new $2 billion Highmark Stadium to give fans “new memories and a new, fresh vibe” to experience
• Allen says his “why” has changed doing into the upcoming NFL season because of his daughter

Life looks different for Josh Allen these days.

In April, the Buffalo Bills quarterback, 30, and his wife Hailee Steinfeld welcomed their first child together — daughter Harper — meaning the upcoming NFL season will be Allen’s first as a new father. “I love being a dad,” he tells PEOPLE during a conversation about his extending his partnership with Natrol and how he’s incorporating additional products from the brand into his routine this season.

Allen admits that his sleep schedule is “definitely not” what it was before Harper arrived, however, and getting enough sleep is crucial for an NFL quarterback. “You learn about the unpredictability of what sleep is and just the interrupted part of it, but again, I love being a dad and I welcome that, but when I know I can get that extra sleep and having Natrol at the ready has been life changing for me,” he tells PEOPLE.

The Bills kick off their preseason matchups with a home game — at their brand new $2 billion Highmark Stadium — against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 15 and play their first game of the regular season on the road against the Houston Texans.

Allen says he thinks “the fans are going to absolutely love” the new stadium and he’s “excited for new memories, and a new, fresh vibe” there. “We’ve obviously got a new head coach, and so to have those memories being made in a new spot — and I think change is needed sometimes, especially when we’ve been close in the past, even going back to 20-ish, 30-ish years ago, just how close the Bills have been to winning a Super Bowl — I think this is kind of a switch that was necessary and I’m very excited.”

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With a new head coach, a new stadium and a new baby this season, Allen says he’s “trying to approach it in a similar fashion of trying to be the best person that I could be, trying to be the best player that I can be,” but he’s certain that one thing about his mindset has changed. “I’ve said this in a few different interviews in Buffalo, of why my ‘why’ has changed and why I’m doing this, and it’s not a personal ‘why’ anymore,” says Allen.

“It’s to show this little daughter that me and my wife are trying to raise how hard you need to work to accomplish something so great, so, I don’t think that the approach changes, but the why behind it does.”

Even so, Allen’s going to need to maintain the quality and quantity of his sleep when the Bills start their season, so the new father is incorporating Natrol® Ultra Sleep and Natrol® Ultra Energy into his holistic wellness approach. 

Before Harper, “I think anytime I was in bed by 11:30 was a win,” says Allen, calling himself historically “a pretty late sleeper” who experiences “mind racing” at night. “Now, if I’m not in bed by 10, it means we’re probably doing something wrong. So, baby goes down at a certain time and me and my wife are shortly after her, just making sure that we can get as much sleep as we can,” he shares.

Allen says he’s “so bad at sleeping on planes,” which can also put him at a disadvantage for Bills road games, “but the real reason why I got involved with Natrol is because I was flying from Italy last year, took a Natrol Ultra Sleep & Restore and I woke up and there was like an hour left in the flight, so at that moment I was like, ‘You know what? I need to get involved with this company.’ ”

Allen and the Bills will report to training camp on July 21.

Read the original article on People