The NFL and the NFL Players Association are working together to target heart disease and sleep apnea in retired players.

The Cardiovascular Health Program is part of a new four-point plan to address the needs of retired pro football players. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw announced details of the plan on July 24.

The joint effort will combine and expand current health programs offered by the NFL and the NFLPA. For years the NFLPA has partnered with the Living Heart Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides free health screenings for current and retired players. The screening includes a home sleep study to assess a player’s risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Players who appear to have OSA are advised to discuss the results with a doctor. They also are encouraged to go to a sleep disorders center for an overnight sleep study. This study is the best way to detect OSA and determine its severity.

OSA is a common sleep disorder that occurs when tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway as you sleep. As a result you may stop breathing hundreds of times per night. Men are twice as likely as women to have OSA.

A 2003 study of 302 NFL players found that they are more likely to have OSA than other men their age. The study estimates that 14 percent of all professional football players have OSA. The players in the study had an average age of about 26 years.

Results of the study also show that the risk for OSA is greatest for offensive and defensive linemen. Their average neck size of 19.1 inches was highest among the players. Their average BMI of 36.6 was also the highest.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a BMI of 25 or higher is one risk factor for OSA. Men with a neck size of 17 or larger also are more likely to have OSA.

The linemen also had higher blood pressure than all the other players. OSA has been linked to high blood pressure and other problems such as heart failure, stroke and diabetes.

The study was published in the journal Sleep Medicine.

A 2005 study found that 97 percent of NFL players are considered overweight, with a BMI of 25 or higher. Fifty-six percent are considered obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher. According to the researchers it is unlikely that the high BMI scores reflect only a healthy increase in muscle mass.

Study results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The death in 2004 of retired NFL star Reggie White focused attention on OSA and the NFL. White died at the age of 43. Reports indicate that OSA may have played a role in his death.

White, a defensive lineman, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006.

More Information

Obstructive sleep apnea

Are You at Risk?

Warning Signs for OSA

Five Ways to Fight OSA

Accredited Sleep Disorders Centers

CPAP Central

Reviewed by David Kuhlmann, MD
Updated August 17, 2007