Stimulants
What are they?
Some athletes use stimulants to stimulate the
central nervous system and increase heart rate and blood pressure.
Stimulants can:
- Improve endurance
- Reduce fatigue
- Suppress appetite
- Increase alertness and aggressiveness.
Common stimulants include caffeine and
amphetamines. Cold remedies often contain the stimulants ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. Energy drinks, which are popular among many
athletes, often contain high doses of caffeine and other stimulants. The street
drugs cocaine and methamphetamine also are stimulants.
Risks
Although stimulants can boost physical performance
and promote aggressiveness on the field, they have side effects that can impair
athletic performance.
- Nervousness and irritability, which make it hard to concentrate on the game.
- Insomnia, which can prevent an athlete from getting needed sleep.
- Dehydration.
- Heatstroke.
- Addiction or tolerance, meaning that athletes need greater amounts to achieve the desired effect, so they'll take doses that are much higher than the intended medical dose.
Other side effects include:
- Heart palpitations
- Heart rhythm abnormalities
- Weight loss
- Tremors
- Mild high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Hallucinations
- Convulsions
- Stroke
- Heart attack and other circulatory problems
The bottom line
Do performance-enhancing
drugs boost performance? Some athletes may appear to achieve physical gains
from such drugs, but at what cost? The long-term effects of
performance-enhancing drugs haven't been rigorously studied. And short-term
benefits are tempered by many risks. Not to mention that doping is prohibited
by most sports organisations around the world. No matter how you look at it,
using performance-enhancing drugs is a risky business.
No comments:
Post a Comment