I woundn’t normally ask for medical advice on the SDMB because of the potential liability concerns and also to avoid irritating the MD’s that reside here.
But this question is really one of common sense and so all you IANAD’s out there feel free to answer-- no one is going to die because of your suggestions (I think).
I have a regular, ordinary-sized, run-of-the-mill cold right now. Some productive coughing, itchy throat, somewhat stuff-up head, a lot of sniffles, and a general slightly tired feeling.
Normally I walk for an hour or so each day. I haven’t in the last couple days because of my cold, but I really want to get outside and get some exercise. Should I? Or should I just lay around in bed until this things passes in a few days to a week?
FYI-- the weather is pretty mild right now where I live. Maybe 58 or 60 degrees and sunny.
You are already fighting off the virus, which means you are taxing your immune system. The immune system is using what resources your body has to fortify you against the microbial onslaught.
Exercising will draw some of those resources away from the immune system, potentially lengthening your recovery time, or perhaps making you vulnerable to other infections that your immune system no longer has the resources to fight off.
As long as you do nothing strenuous(aerobics, weightlifting), then go for it. There’s a good chance you’ll feel a bit better when you are done. Walking, even brisk walking, does not usually affect the immunne system.
Stick 80 people in one room for 10 weeks during cold season.
I felt like crap for the first month or so of bootcamp as everyone was busy trading the sicknesses people brought with them. I started talking like Barry White due to the amount of mucous coating my vocal cords. Coughing up golfball sized chunks of opaque goo. Lots of fun.
That said, the best I felt was after PT. Bunch of push-ups, bunch of sit-ups, trhow in some random stretching, and run for a mile and a half to finish. It was not light walking, but it was one of the few things that really cleared out the sinuses.
I don’t really know how it affected long term recovery, but it certainly made me feel better for the rest of that day.
If your doing walking for weight loss or weight maintenance I would not worry about it. Your body fighting off a cold will probably lose a few pounds by itself.
This was the reasoning why it was thought to be bad to be physically cold, cause it lowers your immune system making one more liable to catch a viral cold. However, empirical evidence has shown that not to be the case.
And so, the claim that exercise compromises one’s immune system is an unproven statement (unless you have a cite).
Actually, the prevailing studies have shown that for a non-infected person, exercise strengthens the immune system. Don’t know why that would not be the case for someone who is infected.
The only thing to worry about regarding the effects of exercise is not on the immune system, but on the symptoms of the cold. If a cold has been keeping one up all night and one is sleep deprived… sleep first before exercising. A deep chest cold can lead to pneumonia (inflamation of the lungs), and so, strenuous exercising might not be good for the hurting lungs.
I’ve even heard the doctors on America’s Health Network (when it had real doctors and hadn’t veered off into alternative medicine land) tell call-in viewers that it was OK to exercise with a cold as long as they took it easy and didn’t notice their symptoms worsening with exercise.
As long as you don’t have chest symptoms, go for it. In fact, exercise can clear the phlegm from your upper respiratory tract.
As far as exercise helping the immune system, that is true up to a point. However, heavy, intensive exercise can diminish the immune system, which is not your case. IANAMD also.
There was a Doper here (sorry, don’t remember his/her name) who said that he found by accident that exercise does indeed cure a cold. He had to do some strenous physical labor when he caught a cold, and the next day, his cold was all but gone.
The next time he caught a cold, he exercised a bunch and his cold went away the next day also.
The third time he caught a cold, he was lazy… thinking it might be heat rather than physical exertion, he spent time at the suana. It didn’t help his cold.