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3 interesting health stories that can help you play better golf

August 01, 2014

We're not really sure why -- perhaps it's the prospect of an ebola outbreak -- but there have been some particularly interesting health stories this week that could indirectly help you play better golf.

Regular Water Is Best__

__Experts dubbed coconut water a "super food" about a decade ago, claiming it to be superior even to regular water. But as the New York Times' Michael Moss notes, many of those claims have since been walked back or contradicted completely. It does have some benefits, but if you've incorporated coconut water -- or any other regular sports drinks, for that matter -- into your on-course hydration plan, there's still no beating a bottle of regular water and a banana.

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__Allowing for eight hours of sleep each night is obviously easier said than done, but AsapSCIENCE points out how scary-important it is. In a study measuring the effects of sleep time on people, those with an average of eight hours of sleep per night showed virtually no decline in attention lapses or other "cognitive issues". Those with a nightly average starting at six hours over the course of two weeks, by contrast, completed those cognitive tasks at the same level as someone with a 0.1 blood-alcohol level -- or, in other words, the same as someone who's legally drunk. So, if you want to play better golf, you should probably sleep a little more.

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It turns out trees are a fantastic way to reduce air pollution. Who would have thought? According to an article from The Atlantic, trees prevent about $7 billion in health costs annually, and recent studies show that living closer to trees -- and thus fresher air -- will notably improve your health. Maybe tree-lined courses aren't that bad, after all.

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