What Happens to Your Body When You Train With a Hangover

Magic nights, tragic mornings? Drinking a few too many drinks brings inconvenience the next day — indisposition, headache and tiredness can accompany you for hours. But what about when we don’t feel so bad? Is there a problem training with a hangover?

Who’s the hangover girl?

“In general terms, a hangover is a condition of dehydration of the body by the action of alcohol. As the body cannot metabolize (digest) ethanol molecules (alcohol), they are circulating through the bloodstream, causing damage to tissues, such as muscle (in the long term)”, explains nutritionist Dayse Paravidino.

The specialist also says that a part of these molecules goes to the lungs and is eliminated through breathing. That’s why drinks often leave a characteristic bad breath in those who overdose – which can last for hours, even after stopping drinking.

A hangover is like a message from the body that you need to rest and drink lots of water to recover. Therefore, it gives some signs, such as:

Very thirst; Nausea; Lack of appetite; Headaches; Tremors; Emotional instability; Lack of physical and mental acuity; Sensitivity to light; Skin changes (irritated skin); In more severe cases, memory loss.

The problem is that, sometimes, we want to ignore all these warnings so as not to skip training — and reset the spreadsheet. But did you know that the idea is not so good? Understand what can happen if you train with a hangover:

What happens to your body when you train with a hangover

1 – Disturb your goal

No, skipping a day of exercise won’t ruin your goal. In fact, it’s what you should do if you’re hungover. “The practice of physical activities presupposes a prepared body — that is, minimally healthy and rested. After the use of alcohol, all the body wants is rest”, says the nutritionist.

In bodybuilding, for example, sleep is essential to ensure defined and strong muscles. That’s because during strength sessions, you generate microlesions in muscle fibers, which will only recover (and grow) if you sleep properly.

2 – Your body will be more dehydrated than usual

Unless you drink equal and interspersed amounts of alcohol and water, your body will dehydrate. And severe dehydration has been linked to poor concentration and fatigue, which can later lead to cramps and injuries.

3 – The risk of injury increases

Because you are less focused on the movements and more tired, you may be overdoing the weight training or not paying attention to the running strides. In addition, your body will be more weakened, which will hinder coordination, agility and reaction time to stimuli.

4 – You will sweat the alcohol ingested

The other part of the alcohol that the body does not digest is expelled through sweat and urine. Therefore, your perspiration may have that unpleasant smell.

5 – You may feel nauseous (and even vomit)

Since alcohol interferes with the body’s ability to keep sugar levels stable, you may feel nauseous from not eating anything before your workout. So, the best thing is to have a light but nutritious meal to have energy.

6 – You will be more tempted to eat unhealthy foods

Sleeping poorly and drinking too much make you crave unhealthy ingredients like fried food.