Alcohol and football - it sounds like a sociable evening with the team. But even small amounts of alcohol can seriously affect your athletic performance. Find out here exactly how alcohol weakens your muscles, slows down your recovery and even disrupts your sleep.
Alcohol acts like a neurotoxin and puts your body under stress. It inhibits protein synthesis - the process by which your muscles are repaired and built up. Alcohol also throws your hormone balance out of balance and deprives your body of valuable electrolytes. The result? Your muscles regenerate more slowly and you are less efficient.
A study conducted by Massey University in New Zealand in 2009 shows just how much alcohol can impair recovery. Ten recreational athletes completed intensive muscle training and then drank either alcohol or orange juice. After 36 and 60 hours, the alcohol group showed almost twice as much of a drop in performance as the alcohol-free group.
Alcohol draws water and electrolytes from your body - causing the infamous "burn" the next morning. This has serious consequences for footballers: you are less energetic and your recovery is made even more difficult. Your body needs fluids to balance the water balance and supply your muscles.
Your sleep rhythm also suffers from alcohol. Although you often fall asleep faster, alcohol disrupts the important deep sleep phases in which your body regenerates. The result: you don't wake up refreshed and perform less well on the pitch.
For many footballers, alcohol is part of a social gathering, but the negative effects on your performance, recovery and health should not be underestimated. Less alcohol means more energy, faster recovery and better performance on the pitch. Try it out - your body and your team will notice the difference!
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