• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 7, 2017

Just in time for playoff season, Tom Brady may be invading America’s dreams, launching Under Armour’s Athlete Recovery Sleepwear powered by TB12. The pajamas, made for men and women, have bioceramics woven into the fabric, which Brady and Under Armour claim are beneficial to muscle recovery.

The PJs made their official debut at CES, but the buzz has been building for months and they have made a few sneak appearances at Brady press conferences. And they are part of UA’s bid to become an ever-more-digital company, using connected fitness as a way to differentiate itself. Linked to the UA Record app, the recovery wear allows people to track sleep, which is emerging as a key component to athletic performance.

In a testimonial spot, Brady credits the technology with his ability to recover quickly and credits the far infrared fabric with reducing inflammation and faster healing. “I want to do the things I love for a long time,” he says, “and proper sleep has helped me get to where I am today as an athlete and it is something that I continue to rely on every day.”

Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, is 39 and one of the oldest players in the National Football League. Despite serving a four-game suspension earlier this season for his role in Deflategate, he has had one of his most terrific seasons ever as the Patriots head into the playoffs with the best record in the NFL. 

Sleeping like Tom Brady doesn't come cheap, with the tops and bottoms priced at $80 to $100.

The app tracks sleep, gives users a 14-day sleep score to assess quality, and provides coaching on how to sleep better to maximize performance. UA says it is working with sleep experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine, to continue to improve its product line.

Recovery garments are nothing new, says Matt Powell, sports industry analyst for the NPD Group, with plenty of attention paid to compression fabrics. “But until now, no one was smart enough to put it together with the time when most recovery takes place — while you are sleeping,” he tells Marketing Daily.

While plenty of evidence links sleep to faster recovery and better athletic performance, the science behind far infrared and fabrics like this one is far more speculative. Most research on recovery focuses on the perception of soreness, or the limited strength or movement loss that can come with muscle damage caused by exercise, says A. Lynn Millar, chair of the physical therapy department at Winston-Salem State University, and a spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine. “My questions would be, ‘Is there truly infrared technology being provided through the garment? And if so, is it at a therapeutic dose? And what about potential side effects?’”