Should You Exercise While You're Sick? Well, It's Not That Simple

Exercising regularly is good for your immune system, with some research suggesting that it may even lower the risk of getting the common cold. It is possible to get benefits from 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week.

When it comes to the common cold, there is no evidence that exercising while sick can shorten the illness.

There are a few reasons why exercise is beneficial for our immune system.

The hormones that are released when we exercise may explain the first. These are called catecholamines, which are also known as adrenaline and noradrenaline.

The hormones play an important role in the functioning of our immune system by triggering the quick release of important immune cells that help detect the presence of viruses or other pathogens in the body.

They increase the amount of movement of our immune cells between the blood and tissue, which is important in helping immune cells detect and prevent illnesses caused by viruses or other pathogens. The levels of hormones in our body can be increased by exercising.

Blood flow increases when we exercise in order to keep up with the increased demands of exercise. This elevated blood flow places greater stress on our blood vessels, which releases specific immune cells called natural killer cells and T cells that can be found on the walls of our blood vessels. Natural killer cells and T cells kill cells with a virus.

Our fight against infections may be improved by exercising.

Older adults who exercise over a period of one month have been shown to have quicker skin wound healing. The risk of infections via skin wounds is lowered by this quicker healing process.

Our immune system may be improved by all of these mechanisms. You can see benefits even if you are not a regular gym-goer.

When people started walking for 40 minutes a day for five days a week, they saw a 50 percent reduction in upper respiratory tract infections.

It is difficult to know if exercising while sick with a cold will help you get over your illness quicker than if you don't exercise.

It would be difficult to conduct this type of study because some of the participants would need to be exposed to a Viruses to compare whether or not exercising has any affect. It would be difficult to do and it could also be unethical.

As exercise is good for the immune system, why can't you do it while you're sick?

Exercise can cause stress to the body. The stress may make the immune cells less capable of responding. This may be due to the fact that the body needs more oxygen and stored energy when we exercise, which our immune cells need to help fight off a virus.

The immune response may not benefit if the body is fighting an existing infection and then exposed to the stress of exercise.

There is no evidence that exercising while sick with a cold can help you get over it faster. If your symptoms are mainly above the neck, you can begin exercising at a lower intensity to see how you feel.

Rest if exercising makes you feel worse. It is not recommended for you to exercise if you are sick.

If you want to exercise while you are sick, make sure you take precautions. Since colds are infectious, it may be best to skip the gym and exercise at home.

Regular exercise can help prime the immune system to fight many different types of infections, including the common cold. Don't feel like you have to work out if you're sick.

If you have a cold, rest, stay hydrated and take pain-relieving medicines are the best remedies.

John is a senior lecturer at Trent University.

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