THE SCIENCE · DROPS MONDAY
What sport scientists say, with sources. Then see how athletes actually answered.
A 2018 review of 19 studies found that the day after heavy drinking, people had worse short and long term memory, weaker sustained attention and slower psychomotor speed, which is how fast you react and move. That's with little or no alcohol left in the blood. For athletes, that means reaction time and decisions in the game you play hungover.
Disclosure: Co-founder of a sports nutrition company. No funding for this content.
Athletes did a hard session of strength plus interval training, then drank heavily: about 12 standard drinks over a few hours. Muscle protein synthesis, the process that repairs and builds muscle, dropped 24% even when they also had protein, and 37% when they had carbs instead. That's heavy drinking, not one beer, but it's the post-game night out a lot of teams know.
Disclosure: Co-founder of a sports nutrition company. No funding for this content.
A review of 20 studies found alcohol before bed gets you to sleep faster but delays your first REM sleep at any dose, and cuts REM at higher doses. The second half of the night is more disrupted. Sleep is when a lot of recovery happens, so the night before a game or a hard session is the worst time to make that trade.
Disclosure: Co-founder of a sports nutrition company. No funding for this content.
A 2020 systematic review of cannabis and sport found it does not appear to improve performance, and noted that the research is generally poor quality. Some athletes say it helps them relax or recover, but that's different from playing better while high. THC is also still prohibited in competition under anti-doping rules.
Disclosure: Co-founder of a sports nutrition company. No funding for this content.
Sport scientists, physicians and researchers can post a fact or reply to one here, with name, credentials and a source.
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