Football and Food: A Supersized Sleep Problem?
I read an interesting article today from the the Florida Times-Union talking about how one lineman for the Jacksonville Jaguars was undersized at a weight of 275! The article goes on to talk about how many of these linemen would ingest up to 5,000 calories a day, and if they missed one of their 6 regularly scheduled meals they were afraid they might lose a few pounds. The Jags strength coach says that up to 8 of the Jags are thought of as too heavy and are now being required to slim down.
Considering that the Jags are now 11 and 4, and with the Titans ( their current match up at 4 and 11) QB out with a muscle strain, the hefty Jags should see a victory -- check out the articles on ESPN. Watch them in the post-season--it should be interesting.
What is also interesting is that most of these athletes don't want to be this heavy. In interviews with the current linemen many say they will dramatically drop their weight once out of the NFL.
Why this is important to me is that in 2003, researchers reported that 1 in 7 professional football players suffered from sleep-disordered breathing (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and that most of the sufferers were linemen. In addition to OSA their obesity puts them at risk for stroke, heart failure and down the line diabetes, hypertension and joint problems.
Finally we also know that sleepy people do not perform well. Reaction time slows, decision making skills reduce, and fatigue worsens. This does not sound like a recipe (pardon the pun) for a super-sized Superbowl victory. Look at what happened to Reggie White. While it's true that he suffered from a lung disorder on top of a sleep disorder, the truth is that yes, people can die and we need to realize that if we push these guys too far, it can really hurt.
Related Topics: Many NFL Players Fatter Than Couch Potatoes, Men's Sleep Apnea Increases Heart Problems
Considering that the Jags are now 11 and 4, and with the Titans ( their current match up at 4 and 11) QB out with a muscle strain, the hefty Jags should see a victory -- check out the articles on ESPN. Watch them in the post-season--it should be interesting.
What is also interesting is that most of these athletes don't want to be this heavy. In interviews with the current linemen many say they will dramatically drop their weight once out of the NFL.
Why this is important to me is that in 2003, researchers reported that 1 in 7 professional football players suffered from sleep-disordered breathing (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and that most of the sufferers were linemen. In addition to OSA their obesity puts them at risk for stroke, heart failure and down the line diabetes, hypertension and joint problems.
Finally we also know that sleepy people do not perform well. Reaction time slows, decision making skills reduce, and fatigue worsens. This does not sound like a recipe (pardon the pun) for a super-sized Superbowl victory. Look at what happened to Reggie White. While it's true that he suffered from a lung disorder on top of a sleep disorder, the truth is that yes, people can die and we need to realize that if we push these guys too far, it can really hurt.
Related Topics: Many NFL Players Fatter Than Couch Potatoes, Men's Sleep Apnea Increases Heart Problems
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Hello my name is sleepydeb and I just did an overnite sleep study at a facility with all the wires and plugs and goop in my hair and just found out today (1-4-2006) that I quit breathing 19 times average in an hour. I have an appt with the sleep Dr. in the morning because he wanted to see me asap even though I had the overnite stay right before Christmas, so I have no idea what is going to happen. Just curious if that is a dangerous level or what? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I have fibromyalgia and chronic pancreatitus and do take a lot of medication. The film that went with this issue was too fast for my computer so I didn't get to view it. Thanks for any help. Sleepydeb
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