Although we all know someone who had his lifetime race after a great night out, let’s face it, it’s not that common, and drinking large amounts of alcohol before a race is far from ideal preparation.
You may have also heard someone say that “sweating it out” is best for hangovers, and you can even attribute this to yourself.
The symptoms of hangovers that will impair your exercise performance:
Fatigue: Drinking alcohol impairs your sleep. Although a few drinks can make you fall asleep more quickly, unfortunately, it results in a more superficial and restless sleep, which causes you to miss the deep sleep needed for recovery.
Pain: Many people experience that their condition worsens after a night of drinking, and lack of sleep and alcohol in itself can play a role in increasing your pain.
Nausea: enough said here. If you can not venture a few meters from a toilet bowl, you better forget the training until this happens.
“Sweat” training hangover?
No, the reason you may feel better after exercising with a hangover is NOT that you “put out the alcohol.” Still, instead, the exercise causes the release of endorphins (often called the “feel good” hormone) and also has tended to increase alertness (similar to a cup of coffee).
Is there an increased risk of injury during exercise at hangover?
Although no research examines the dangers of exercising when one has a hangover, with lack of sleep, impaired cognitive ability, and dehydration that already puts a high degree of stress on the body.
Six tips for exercising with a hangover
Take it easy
You may want to punish yourself after brushing off the souvlaki late at night, but keep the session easy. For runners, this will be your easy running pace. It can mean reducing the load for walkers.
Stay hydrated
Keep your fluid intake up during the session, especially for those who exercise outdoors on a hot summer day!
Be realistic
For the various reasons outlined above, it is doubtful that you will put PBs, so do not put unnecessary pressure on yourself to perform.
Keep it simple
Hangovers often weaken coordination, so keep the exercises simple. Activities that require high degrees of balance or skills, you can do another time.
Plan ahead
If you have a big night ahead of you, change the program to have a light/rest day afterward.
Take a nap
Because sleep is often of poor quality after a big night, do not be afraid to take a nap the day after to catch up. Remember to keep your rest short (less than 1 hour) and do not sleep over 3 pm to avoid affecting your ability to fall asleep at night. You can even try a cappuccino.
So you should train with a hangover?
Maybe you can. But remember the things we outlined above, program a simple session, which when completed you will feel better than when you started.
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