Preventing Athletic Sickness

It's something that's come to my attention over the past couple of weeks. The end of the season and athletes are making the last push for a championship and the week before or the week of, they're getting sick. It's a major letdown because if it's serious, it ruins the potential chance of winning or ruining the training for the next season. Truly a sad moment. I guess it's best to try to explain why it happens and what is the best way to prevent it.

There are plenty of reasons as to why an athlete could get sick towards an important part of their season. I'll list a few.

1. Lack of sleep - for many reasons we all don't get enough of sleep. Whether it's school, partying, or something emotional. Not getting enough sleep means that your body isn't getting the right amount of time to recover after a hard practice.

2. Your relationship habit - Yes I know this sounds strange, but this can actually get you sick in terms of kissing and sharing drinks. Ever heard of "mono"? Yeah, that illness can kill a season. So don't kiss, at least too much.

3. Alcohol/Drugs - Ah the pleasures of the average college student and the occasional high schooler. I'm not too sure how drugs get you sick that much, but alcohol can increase your chances of getting sick, especially for athletes. After a workout, your muscles are really sore and need time to recover. Drinking alcohol actually inhibits the healing process and weakens the immune system, making an athlete twice as susceptible to getting sick. I know it's college and whatnot, but if you're gonna be a serious athlete, take the drugs and alcohol down a notch. It'd be to the best of you and your body's interest.

I'll conclude with some tips to try and avoid sickness during a vital part of your athletic career.

1. Get sleep. I know I mentioned it before, but getting the 8+ hours of sleep can do all the difference for you. Try to go to sleep around the same time so you don't throw your biological clock off.

2. Take cold medicine/vitamins. These can make all the difference. At the first sign of sick symptoms, take cold medicine until they subside. Also, a Multi-vitamin can help as well with the essential daily vitamins and minerals. I guess a class of OJ wouldn't hurt either.

3. Quit or cut down the alcohol. I said that earlier and I can't stress it enough how alcohol can affect your body in competition.

How influential is this going to be? Probably not going to be that helpful, but I'm getting a good thought out here.