How long does it usually take your HR to stabilize?
I donated blood yesterday afternoon and did a trainer ride last night. It was obvious that I was getting winded quickly so took it easy. I just came back from a run and my HR was still elevated a good 15-20 bpm over normal.
I read that fluid levels usually return to normal within 24 hrs of a donation, but is that accurate?
Plasma (the fluid that your red blood cells float around in) is replaced within 2-3 days, but getting your red blood cell count back up to previous levels takes a week or two. I donated last week, and only felt slow and weak for the next few days. My red blood cells probably aren’t back at 100% yet, but any difference isn’t noticeable anymore and I put in a really hard workout last night and completely forgot that I donated the week before.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_donation#Recovery_and_time_between_donations
I did a half ironman 2 days after donating and it’s my only DNF ever. It was stupid and I was miserable. So I don’t know how long it takes to stabilize but it certainly isn’t 2 days.
you think a race is a bad idea idea after blood donation… try Makers mark, man you want to talk about a shitty buzz
thanks - makes alot of sense!
I did a 4-man team TT the day after giving blood, and boy was that a disaster. Talk about some pissed teammates. So, no, reverse blood doping doesn’t work.