4 Risks of Playing Football After Donating Blood
Blood Donation is one of the kindest deeds one can do. But as an athlete you have to active and fit every time, and one can wonder Will Blood Donation affect overall sports performance? Can I Play Football After Donating Blood?
Well, Donating Blood can cause temporary weakness and reduction in endurance but it’s all worth it…At least a person can breathe because of you.
Blood Donation
Blood Donation is a process of blood transfusion whereby a person voluntarily donates his blood or specific components. This blood is saved by blood banks and send further for the help of needy one.
Types of Blood Donation
While donating blood, a person can choose between donating his whole blood or specific components, for instance, Red Blood Cells, Plasma, Platelets.
- Whole Blood Donation: It is the most common and popular way of donating blood, in which a person donates his pint (half-liter) of blood.
- Apheresis: During this, blood is collected from a person’s arm and the machine breaks it into different components and collects what it needs, and sends back the rest of it.
- Plateletpheresis collects only platelets. Platelets are essential components of blood which prevent blood clumping and helps to form clot if the skin is broken.
- In Double red cell donation machine only collects concentrated RBCs.
- Plasmapheresis collects only a liquid portion of blood.
No matter which one you choose, blood donation can surely save a person’s life.
Eligibility Requirements
Any person can donate blood that is:
– 16 or 17 years old, or according to the laws of the state.
– At least 50 kilograms
– Healthy and able to pass physical assessments.
Preparation before Blood Donation
So if you made your mind to donate blood, then here is a preparation strategy you can do beforehand and also afterward.
Before you go for blood donation:
– get tight sleep the night before
– Avoid oily or fatty food.
– Stay hydrated
– Wear a half sleeve t-shirt or a shirt that is easy to roll.
After The Procedure:
After donation, you will need to sit for a while and munch some snacks. And after spending 15 minutes you can go home.
- What to eat after donating blood? One should consider eating iron-rich food.
- Avoid heavy exercises or physical activity
- Leave your bandage on for at least 5 hours and if the bleeding didn’t stop try applying pressure.
Benefits of Blood Donation
Burn calories: Blood donation can help you to burn some extra calories easily.
- Extra iron store: It also helps you to use your excess iron reservoir and decrease the risk of liver failures.
- New blood cells: After blood donation, your body is forced to produce new blood cells and replaces your old RBCs.
Should athletes donate blood?
Well, it depends solely on athletes and their schedules. You can donate blood if you want to, moreover, you should never hesitate for doing good work.
However, you should never donate blood during competition season, as donating blood impacts athletes’ performance endurance and can harm your health.
There should be 3 months gap between donating blood and competition. Moreover take supplements, an Iron-rich diet, and lots of Vitamin C to increase your RBCs soon.
Can I Play Football After Donating Blood?
As already mentioned above, one should avoid heavy and straining activities, including running, football. Therefore don’t play football after donating blood. Wait for at least 24 hours for your body to recover quickly.
The Risks of Working out After Giving Blood
As an Athlete, you probably want to return to your game as soon as possible, but wait, it is suggested not to engage in any heavy physical activity.
As it can lead to:
– Dizziness
– Heavy bleeding
– Fatigue
– Dehydration
Conclusion
Donating blood is an act of kindness and one should not think twice if he/she is eligible to donate. Just half a liter of your blood can save someone’s life. But this doesn’t mean you should carelessly give your blood, you should take proper care and adopt measures to ensure your well-being too.
