Impact of Alcohol on Athletic Performance
The consumption of alcohol is a common activity enjoyed by adults throughout the world. In the field of athletics, teams celebrate championship wins by drinking bottles of champagne and others enjoy a celebratory drink after finishing an event. While the celebration aspect of drinking is commonly acknowledged, the aspects of moderating alcohol consumption are more often not addressed. Consuming alcohol during different time periods of the day can affect the performance of an athlete in multiple ways. Let’s look at the various factors that alcohol affects in terms of athletic performance.
Prior to Exercise
Alcohol intake prior to exercise increases the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) within your body and lessens the activity of the central nervous system. Increased BAC can hinder an athlete’s abilities of judgment, balance, motor skills, sensory reactions, and coordination. The risk of injury increases and diminishment of endurance can occur for both anaerobic and aerobic athletes equally. The loss of endurance following the consumption of alcohol prior to exercise can be attributed to the inhibition of several chemical reactions within the body including the citric acid cycle, gluconeogenesis, as well as the increased production of lactic acid. While the consumption of alcohol is not common prior to exercise, it is still practiced in some sports for ergogenic aid benefits such as slowing down the heart rate of an archer while they are shooting.
Consumption of Alcohol After Exercise
An important component to an athlete’s post-workout is their recovery regimen. In order to fully recover after a workout, it’s essential to consider how you reload glycogen levels, enhance muscle synthesis, and enhance fluid balance. While alcoholic drinks such as beer have been said to be a great recovery drink following a workout, these drinks lack carbohydrate and electrolyte content which is critical for recovery following prolonged sweat loss. Alcoholic drinks that contain 4% or above alcohol by volume (ABV) can increase urinary output and further worsen fluid imbalances of an athlete. This ABV value includes most beers, wines, and liquors. If an athlete does choose to consume alcohol following exercise, it is important to drink a sports beverage high in electrolytes or drink water while eating salty foods to properly balance fluids in order to shorten their recovery period and limit the risk of having a hangover. Alcohol consumption is also associated with poor sleep patterns, longer recovery from injury, and lower hormone production related to the growth of muscles.
The Effects of Hangovers and Binge Drinking
Sometimes a person may drink just one too many and feel a variety of negative effects the next day such as fatigue, inability to concentrate, painful headaches, and nausea and/or vomiting. A hangover for an athlete can vary from person to person depending on the amount of alcohol they consumed within a specific timeframe, age, gender, height, and weight. The immediate result of a hangover is fluid imbalance and dehydration. It is important that when you do have a hangover you prioritize fluid and electrolyte intake to limit hangover symptoms. Other conditions that are common with hangovers are low blood sugar, upset stomach, increased vein dilation, and issues with sleeping. All of these factors lead to decreased energy output and lessen an athlete’s ability to train or perform.
A customary event that takes place after a team sports event is having a drink or two with your teammates. However, the consequences of drinking too much within a certain timeframe can lead to far worse problems than just a hangover. While the standard serving size of alcoholic beverages varies, consuming enough alcohol to raise your BAC above 0.08 g/dl is considered binge drinking. Binge drinking is more common at younger ages around 21 years old but is also practiced during later years of life. The short-term effects of binge drinking include possible nutritional deficiencies due to nutrient malabsorption as well as decreased immune system activity. This can negatively impact an athlete’s diet regimen and hinder their athletic performance. The long-term effects of binge drinking or excessive alcohol consumption such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and liver disease are more problematic and may result in lifelong complications.