Ever wondered how much post-match drinks might affect your performance the next day? Could your opponent be getting the upper hand by shouting you another round? Let’s uncover the damage that alcohol has on your game, and how you can minimize the effects if you do over-indulge the night before.

How alcohol affects the body
Most people know drinking to excess doesn’t make you feel good the next day, but few know exactly why. The effects of alcohol are complicated and influence many parts of your body; you may feel thirsty, nauseous, tired and crave greasy food. There are several reasons for this.

Alcohol is made up of ethanol, a volatile, color- less liquid produced by the fermentation of sugar. According to Dr. Joe Kosterich, M.B.B.S (WA), “In small quantities, (less than 2-3 standard drinks per day), ethanol can be processed by the liver and causes no harm to most people. In larger quantities it causes short and long term damage to the body.”
The liver breaks down ethanol very slowly – it takes one hour per unit of alcohol. Methanol breaks down into acetaldehyde, which causes nausea and headaches. The short-term effects off drinking too much alcohol may include a “hang- over,” resulting in a headache, nausea, vomiting and behavioral changes. Alcohol also disrupts sleep patterns, so even a long night’s sleep won’t prevent the following day’s hangover.

Kosterich explains that hangover symptoms are directly related to dehydration. “Alcohol is a diuretic, so you put out more urine volume than you consume. Because you are drinking, the ‘thirst’ mechanism is switched off, and you dry out while drinking. Alcohol can also cause the blood vessels to expand (similar to what happens in migraines), also contributing to a headache.” As you lose water, you also lose essential salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

How a hangover can affect your tennis
Alcohol takes its toll on the body and often leaves drinkers listless the following day. No doubt, then, that in the event you are scheduled to play a match the day after a night of indulgence your athletic performance will be compromised.

Your liver usually produces enough glucose required for working muscles. However, when the liver is metabolizing alcohol, it is unable to provide enough glucose, resulting in impaired performance, muscle pain and cramps. In fact, studies show that muscle performance is reduced significantly and up to 60 hours post alcohol intake. The consequences are exacerbated if you have experienced a soft-tissue injury because blood flow to muscle increases with a hangover. Therefore, drinkers may expect further swelling and a longer recovery time.

Alcohol also affects finer tennis skills where balance is thrown off and complex motor skills decline. Alcohol will also mentally impair; reaction times are slower than normal, meaning you won’t connect with the ball as quickly as you should. Even if you do connect with the ball, the chances of selecting the appropriate shot will have dramatically decreased as alcohol affects your ability to process information.

Minimize the damage
Fortunately, there are steps to follow that may help fight off a nasty hangover. First, Kosterich recommends reducing the consumption of alcohol, limiting it to one drink an hour as this is the rate at which the body can process alcohol without it building up in the blood stream.

To prevent a headache caused by dehydration, drink plenty of water before and after alcohol consumption. Try alternating between alcoholic beverages and water to potentially reduce indulgence.

Eat before alcohol fills you up. Remember to focus your efforts on starchy or protein-rich foods since they take longer to digest and have a damping effect on the absorption of alcohol.

Before retiring to bed, drink plenty of water, again, or consider a glass of milk. Milk is an anti-diuretic, which means it helps stop the kidneys from producing urine. You are still rehydrating your body, but you might also be able to sleep through the night without needing a bathroom break.

Regardless of the steps taken to reduce hang- over symptoms, Kosterich warns that there is no guarantee that alcohol won’t impact your performance the following day. Abstinence, after all, is the only “safe” option.

Curing a hangover
So, you didn’t manage to escape hangover-free? Once again, fluids are the key to feeling better. “As hangover symptoms are related to dehydration you need to drink lots of water –at least two litres,” says Kosterich. He also recommends sleep, but if you are scheduled to play tennis, medicine may help. “Ideally one would rest, but if you have to perform then pain killers like paracetamol or ibuprofen may help. However, whether or not these can be used depend on the drugs policy of the tournament. For the amateur, these will be ok. Avoid anything with codeine as it can make you sleepy,” he says.

Before tennis, consume an energy drink to replace lost salts and increase hydration. As for your morning coffee, it’s up to you. Research both supports and argues against caffeine being good for a hangover. As an alternative, peppermint tea has proven effective at combating nausea and vomiting.

Breakfast is important, too, but avoid acidic foods that can upset the stomach further. Bananas are already a popular tennis snack, but they’re almost essential if you’re playing with a hangover. Bananas contain potassium, which is lost during alcohol consumption, and carbohydrates, which help boost your energy and blood- sugar levels.

Unfortunately, time is the only real cure for a hangover and the only way to certainly avoid one is to not drink. As Kosterich advises, “Prevention is better than cure.”