How the Momentous Team is Upping Their Recovery Game with Momentous Sleep

In a prior post, we introduced to you the ingredients in our new Momentous Sleep formula that helps our athletes and experts optimize their recovery through sleep. Now we’re going to take a deeper dive into the personal experiences of several elite athletes and coaches – namely NFL star Kyle Rudolph, expert coach Jamal Liggin, endurance power couple Ben and Sarah True, and running coach Mary Johnson – as they’re using the latest addition to our line of performance nutrition products. 

Kyle Rudolph – Falling Asleep After Evening Games and West Coast Travel 

Kyle Rudolph isn’t just one of the NFL’s top performers on the field – as shown by his two All-Pro selections. He’s also one of the hardest working players in the Vikings organizations on the practice field and in the weight room. Plus, Kyle is a dedicated husband and father and tirelessly gives back to the Twin Cities Community, earning two Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominations for his efforts. To keep pushing hard on all these fronts, Kyle has to recover fully each night, even when the Vikings play late games or get back from a West Coast road trip past midnight and his adrenaline is still pumping. 

“The hardest thing sleep-wise is definitely after a night game. If we start at 7:30 PM, we probably won’t be done until 10:30 PM, and then I have to drive back to the house. I sometimes don’t get there until after midnight and I’m still amped up. It’s not easy to relax and calm down so I can go to bed and get a good sleep.”

While Kyle typically relaxes with friends and family to try and counter the effects of a late game, he has found that adding Momentous Sleep to his evening routine is helping him downshift even more effectively.  

“When I originally tested Momentous Sleep, I took it for seven nights straight,” Kyle said. “I’ve always been a good sleeper, especially during training camp when I am exhausted by the time my head hits the pillow. But I noticed that my recovery felt especially dialed in while taking Momentous Sleep.”

Ben and Sarah True – When Your Sleep Hygiene Routine Isn’t Enough

One of the finest triathletes of her generation, Sarah True has won a gold and two bronze medals in the ITU World Championships, finished fourth at the 2012 Olympics, and placed second in the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series. She was also named USA Triathlon Olympic/ITU Athlete of the Year. Her husband Ben is no slouch himself, having won the 2018 New York City Half Marathon, claimed the American 5K road record, and finished in the top six in both the track and cross country world championships. 

The Trues are very serious and detailed about every aspect of their training and recovery, and this extends to their sleep schedules. They start thinking about sleep long before their heads hit the pillow, with Ben limiting himself to an early afternoon espresso (as long as it’s before 3 PM) because it has less caffeine than a big mug of drip coffee, but will still keep him going if he has scheduled a late training run. Such forethought allows Ben to get at least 10 hours of sleep, without which he says he’s “useless.” 

When it comes to later at night, “One of the reasons we have a king-sized bed is because Ben’s a sprawler, a sweater, and a thrasher,” Sarah said. “It’s better for our relationship as well as for us as athletes.” 

The couple’s gaming of their bedroom also includes a heating/cooling/humidifying unit so they can dial in the temperature and moisture level depending on the season, and two sets of blackout curtains. They’ve also banished all electronics so that the blue light that devices emit doesn’t affect their sleep. The only exception is when Ben puts his iPhone in night mode if he needs an alarm to wake up early. Their bed isn’t just big, but also customizable, thanks to the Sleep Number adjustment system. “Our bedroom is a dog-free zone, too, because he’s a snorer,” Sarah added. “We’re big fans of white noise as well, which helps us to fall asleep. When we travel, we take a portable unit with us.” 

Despite all of their best efforts, the Trues occasionally struggle to fall asleep quickly. In which case, they have a solid backup plan. “If you’re still having a hard time sleeping after doing all these things to your bedroom, try not to get into a negative mindset and fight it,” Ben said. “It’s better to get out of bed, read a book, and take a natural sleep aid with jujube, like Momentous Sleep. Then try going back into a positive sleep environment. Having something that’s independently certified and safe, and knowing exactly what’s in it makes this a great way to assist sleep if you need it.” 

Jamal Liggin – Coming Down After Nighttime Workouts

When the NFL’s brightest stars want to get even better in the offseason, there’s only one man they call: Jamal Liggin. With his unique approach that focuses on speed, movement quality, and agility (plus some vision-enhancing drills that you won’t find anywhere else), Jamal’s client roster reads like a Who’s Who of pro football players, and he is also busy training up the next generation of phenoms to follow in their footsteps. To make sure he’s at the peak of his powers in the gym and on the field, Jamal cannot second guess his sleep – it has to be on point every single night. This can be challenging when his own training has to take place in the evening because of a packed schedule during the day. 

“I’m always mentally tired, but soon after taking Momentous Sleep the first couple of nights, I felt like I was ready to go to bed,” Jamal said. “I’m always naturally able to get up at 7:30am no matter what, and with Momentous Sleep, I didn’t have any grogginess and was still able to get up easily.” 

In addition to reaping the benefits for himself, Jamal also sees the potential for Momentous Sleep to boost the recovery of his athletes. Whether they’re high schoolers trying to earn scholarships, college players juggling football and classes, or pros trying to secure their next contract, any player that comes to Jamal quickly learns that sleep is a non-negotiable part of his programming. 

“The first thing I ask each person when they walk into the gym is, ‘How well rested are you?’” Jamal said. “If they don’t get enough sleep or the proper nutrition, I will not train them. You see signs now on the side of the road that tell you driving sleepy is as dangerous as driving drunk. I feel like it’s the same with training. Even in one of my tennis ball drills, if you’re not fresh you could easily roll your ankle. I’m not going to jeopardize someone’s $85 million career because they’re tired. Sleep and nutrition are the most important things.”

In addition to taking a supplement like Momentous Sleep, Jamal urges his athletes to improve their sleep hygiene routine. “Guys say they go to bed at 9 or 10 o’clock, but then they lie in bed on their phones until 1 AM,” Jamal said. “I tell them to put it in ‘do not disturb’ mode and get some rest, because tomorrow we’re going to go hard again and they need to be well rested.” 

Mary Johnson – Overcoming New Mom Sleeplessness

If you’re a parent, you likely remember the first few months of your kids’ lives with somewhat mixed feelings. Sure, there’s the joy of bringing a little person into the world and watching them grow, but also the bone-tired feeling that you get from night after sleepless night. So it is for Mary Johnson, a USATF-certified running coach, strength coach, and founder of Lift | Run | Perform  who recently gave birth to a son, Eli. 

“One of the things that intimidated me about becoming a mom was the impending doom of getting much less sleep than normal,” Mary said. “As someone who used to thrive off of eight to nine hours every night, I wondered how I was going to survive with an infant and much less shuteye. Now that I'm a new mom, time management is crucial, as is maximizing the amount of time I have to sleep at night. Balancing work, fitness, family, and a baby is difficult - but without sleep, the balance is impossible.”

To help get her sleep back on track, Mary tried taking Momentous Sleep before bed.  

“I woke up the first morning I tested Momentous Sleep after six and a half to seven hours – the best sleep I've had since becoming a new mom!” she said. “Usually I need to snooze on and off with the baby throughout the morning, but today I didn't because I felt well rested. I've taken my fair share of sleep meds, but this one is great.”

While Mary’s primary focus is being a good mother, she’s also a coach who prides herself on giving her best to the runners she trains. As such, she sees the potential for Momentous Sleep to benefit their recovery and performance, too. 

“Sleep is one of the most important facets of performance, and it's something I stress to everyone I coach,” Mary said. “It's easy to get caught up in mileage, paces, and numbers while training for a goal or race, but all the numbers go out the window if the athlete isn't getting an adequate amount of sleep. Stress is stress, and when sleep prioritization isn't included in their training equation, it's a huge problem.”