Mouthguards For Non-Contact Sports

I wore a mouthguard when I played lacrosse, but I’m not sure I could see myself putting in a mouthguard for running or playing tennis or golf.  Under Armour is pushing a series of mouthguards for any sport now (see brochure).  But, from a purely academic perspective, it’s interesting.

The material says that:

• It improves airflow.
• It reduces stress.
• It improves strength.
• It reduces lactic build-up.
• It improves response time.
• It reduces cortisol production.

It just makes me think that you’ll create this casual athlete with:

• A mouthguard.
• Nose strips to improve breathing.
• Dark compression socks pulled up to the knee (perhaps with no bottom to allow for barefoot running).
• Compression arm sleeves.
• Heart rate monitor with GPS.
• Googles to protect the eyes.
• Magnetic band for strength and balance.

You get my point.  All of these things offer either some type of protection and some improvement in results, but it can go too far (IMHO).  Although on the flipside, the competitor inside me is anxious to try them out.