Troy football’s entire offensive line to take part in sleep study

TROY, Ala. (WSFA) - This fall, the entire Troy Trojan offensive line will have an opportunity to sleep better, perform better on the field and in the classroom, and, more importantly, have healthier lives with a sleep study partnership between Jones Medical Supply and the Troy Regional Sleep Disorders Center. The program kicked off earlier this month with a sleep study of one Troy Trojan who said after sleeping with a prescribed continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for just one night, he felt better.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects nearly 30 million Americans, and an estimated 80 percent of cases remain undiagnosed. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression. In addition, approximately 23.5 million cases of undiagnosed OSA in the United States incur $149.6 billion annually due to greater healthcare utilization, increased motor vehicle and workplace accidents, and reduced productivity.

“Sleep is extremely vital to overall health,” said Rick Smith, Troy Regional CEO, “and we are excited to partner with Jones Medical Supply to help get these athletes healthier and feeling better,” Smith explained that the football players who choose to participate will undergo sleep studies conducted by the Troy Regional Sleep Disorders Center to determine if they have OSA and would benefit from CPAP machines.

Jason Jones, the owner of Jones Medical Supply, said some of the symptoms of sleep apnea are loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, difficulty staying asleep, irritability, daytime tiredness, sleepiness, and getting reports from someone else who notices the person stops breathing for episodes during sleep. “A CPAP machine delivers continuous pressure according to settings prescribed by your sleep specialist to keep the throat from collapsing,” he explained. “This creates a situation where breathing normalizes, and sleep quality improves.”

The testing of the line will begin in June, and the sleep study team will track the results and look at performance both on and off the field.

“By the time football season starts, we will have some results to share,” said Jones.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!