Alcohol and your running performance

Running is a popular sport. It's also so affordable. You put on your running shoes and close the door behind you. Before you know it you are a few kilometers away. Not now, of course, but if you also enjoy a glass of wine or beer, it is good to know how alcohol affects your running performance.

Let's start by saying that alcohol is never good for your body. So not for your running performance either.

Rest and recovery

After a major sporting effort, your body needs time to recover. It does this by resting and especially by sleeping. When you have drunk before or after your running performance, this affects your sleep cycle. Alcohol causes the first deep sleep (REM sleep) to be brought forward. This means that you dream earlier and the brain has to process all the information and impressions of that day faster. The second part of the night, REM sleep occurs much later, overloading the brain. Because deep sleep does not take place proportionally, sleep problems occur. Such as sleepwalking, talking in your sleep and sleep apnea. In addition, there is an increased risk of intense dreams or nightmares.

The production of growth hormones is also inhibited. If this happens more often, you will recover less quickly from your training sessions and you may be injured more quickly.

At half power

Als sporter en dus ook als hardloper heb je glycogeen nodig. Glycogeen wordt omgezet in glucose. Deze energie heeft je lichaam nodig om te presteren. Drink je alcohol voor het hardlopen, dan geeft je lever voorrang aan de afbraak van de alcohol waardoor de stofwisseling verstoord wordt. Het gevolg: een lage bloedsuikerspiegel, minder energie. En dat is te merken aan je sportprestaties.

Walking with a hangover?

Some swear by a run if they drank too much the night before. A nice sweat and then the hangover is gone. But it (unfortunately) doesn't work that way. Every glass of alcohol you drink has to be broken down by the liver and that takes about 1 to 1.5 hours per glass. You should even pay extra attention to your fluid intake if you go running with a hangover. You lose extra moisture through sweating, something your hungover body needs to recover.

Source: runnersworld.nl.