Startup Helps NBA Players Get Som Well-Needed Sleep

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By Dale Buss

Sleep potions have come and gone amid the explosion in beverage types and brands over the last 20 years, and as more Americans reportedly struggle to get a good night’s sleep. But one of the latest, Som, already has an influential group of fans barely weeks into its existence.

NBA players sang the praises of Som in a Sports Illustrated story that chronicled the struggles many of them have to sleep adequately given their crazy travel and practice schedules during the season. They guzzle a can 30 minutes before bed, and the body and brain reportedly respond by inducing sleep.

“Som was not designed for NBA players,” SI said. “But now that the product has been released to the public, they might end up being the most loyal customers.”

Created by a California entrepreneur, Som comes in a little blue can that can be considered the anti-Red Bull; the energy drink comes in a red can, of course. Som’s ingredients include magnesium and vitamin B6, nutritional building blocks that often are deficient in the American diet, according to SI, but which are essential for the natural production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that helps trigger sleep.

Also in the formula are L-Theanine and GABA, which promote relaxation. Each of these ingredients has found roles in previous sleep-inducing startup beverages, but co-founder John Shegerian believes that Som is unique.

“We know there are a variety of products on the market aimed at improving sleep,” Shegerian said in a press release announcing Som’s launch. “But Som is one of the few drug-free, non-habit-forming options that is safe for nightly use and truly works.”

Som is available on its own website and through Amazon, with plans to expand into additional distribution channels this year.