Your early morning alarm goes off, and you hit snooze. Perhaps you've had a long week making sure your kids get from point A to B, you had to work late every night this week, or maybe you're still feeling the effects of the holidays. After hearing your alarm again, you begrudgingly roll out of bed so you can hit the course again and play a round before you start your day. Unfortunately, your lack of sleep has you off your game and you come off the last green with a sub-par score for the morning.
Now, here is another scenario:
You try to squeeze in time to play a round or practice your swing whenever you can with your busy schedule. You find that it's a great outlet for down time and being able to enjoy the outdoors. However, things are not so relaxing and enjoyable when you try to go to sleep at night. Perhaps you suffer from sleep apnea or insomnia like other large percentages of the population.
You try to squeeze in time to play a round or practice your swing whenever you can with your busy schedule. You find that it's a great outlet for down time and being able to enjoy the outdoors. However, things are not so relaxing and enjoyable when you try to go to sleep at night. Perhaps you suffer from sleep apnea or insomnia like other large percentages of the population.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more than 25% of Americans suffer from occasional insomnia, and the National Sleep Foundation cited that more than 48% of Americans frequently suffer from sleep apnea—and that's not even including those who deal with it nightly! Both of these are issues that contribute to grogginess and daytime sleepiness.
According to the Daily Mail, activities that require walking can improve your night's sleep just as good as any sleeping pill. Researchers from that study even cited that this is even more accurate for purpose-filled activities like golfing. Playing a round outside in the fresh air, using your muscle coordination, mental focus, and concentration is truly beneficial to getting good rest!
On the flip side, we found results from the New York Times in which they revealed a study that was conducted to try and counteract these issues with people's slumber, and what they found was very interesting. Within this study, researchers treated avid golfers for their sleep apnea to track how well it changed their handicap. After six months of treatment, the subject group's average handicap improved from 12.4 to 11. Getting better sleep improves cognitive function and mental processes, which makes it easier to concentrate and coordinate to put the ball where you want it!
So, there you have it! It seems to be clear that in order to play a successful round on the course, it's best to prepare with a good night's rest. And studies have shown that for those who have problems going to sleep right away, then playing a round of golf is a great way to get there! See our available tee times and book your next round today!
