Doing sports with a hangover?

After a night of drinking, some people turn to sport to recover - even with a hangover. Find out what it really does and what you should pay attention to here.

Doing sport with a hangover can be doubly challenging: In addition to the physical exertion, the usual symptoms of a night of drinking such as headaches, nausea and a general feeling of weakness can be added to the mix. Is exercise even useful in this condition? Some claim that sport can even banish a mild hangover, while others advocate recovery during a hangover. So maybe you should do something more calm like trying the new reactoonz slot.

How does it work?

Alcohol improves your mood in the evening, but sport does not the next day. Alcohol used to be considered a performance enhancer, but today we know that alcohol reduces athletic performance. As early as 1982, scientists from the American College of Sports Medicine found that alcohol before sport impairs strength and endurance as well as speed.

Abstinent people are more efficient

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the aerobic capacity (endurance) of people who train with a hangover decreases by around eleven percent. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2020 compared two groups: People who had drunk alcohol the night before training and those who had remained abstinent. The researchers found that the hungover test subjects became tired more quickly during a workout and performed less well.

Alcohol before or after exercise has the following effects on your body:

• Your muscles regenerate less well.
• Alcohol dehydrates the body, which reduces the necessary supply of nutrients and minerals to the muscles.
• Alcohol slows down the breakdown of fat.

What to consider

Jogging is a good sport for hangovers. Exercising with a hangover is not a miracle cure for hangover symptoms: You can't "sweat out" or banish a hangover through exercise. However, it has been proven that light endurance sport boosts the metabolism. This helps the body to break down alcohol. However, if you are looking for an efficient workout, you should not exercise while hungover.

For many people, sport not only balances them out physically, but also mentally. Exercise releases dopamine, which studies have shown can help combat depression. So if you don't want to give up exercise, even with a hangover, here are a few tips for you:

Your body is battered during a hangover, don't push it to peak performance. A short jog, swimming or training with light weights are ideal. A study by the University of Colorado Boulder found that aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging or cycling, can even prevent brain damage caused by heavy drinking.

The Federal Center for Health Education warns against combining alcohol and sport, as this can increase the risk of injury, among other things. It is therefore best to postpone your workout to the evening hours of the day after drinking alcohol. This will ensure that enough alcohol has been broken down.

Alcohol removes water and minerals from the body. Make sure you drink enough water or sports drinks during your workout.