A new study suggests that treating sleep apnea may help improve the performance of those who play golf.
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that affects sleep. It is a common disorder in which one pauses in breathing once or more which can last for seconds to minutes while sleeping. Those who have sleep apnea can be heard choking or snorting. Thus, it leads to poor sleep which makes a person fee tired during the day.
Researchers from the SleepWell Centers of New Jersey, in Madison led by medical director Dr. Marc Benton conducted a study to check if the performance of a golfer is affected by their quality of sleep. They recruited 12 middle-aged men who were diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
“The degree of improvement was most substantial in the better golfers who have done a superior job of managing the technical and mechanical aspects of golf,” Benton wrote.
Before and after a six-month sleep apnea treatment, the researchers continually tracked the golf performance of the participants.
The treatment is called CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure that helps keep the patient’s airway open by providing a continuous stream of air while he is asleep.
During the therapy, the researchers noticed less daytime drowsiness and improved sleep-related quality of life. It was also noticed that the participants had an 11 percent drop in their mean golf handicap index – a formula used to gauge a golfer’s skill level.
They also noticed that the average index of golfers that has 12 or less handicap index before the treatment dropped by approximately 32 percent after the CPAP treatment.
“With the cognitive enhancement afforded by successful treatment of their sleep apnea, they saw measurable improvement early and more significantly than those who were less skilled,” Benton said in a press release.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
