Is it allowed to do sports when you have a cold? Opinions differ on this question. Some say sport helps against a cold, others warn of health risks such as heart muscle inflammation if you do sport despite a cold. We explain what you should keep in mind when it comes to sports when you have a cold and when you should rather take a break from sports.
Sport with a mild cold
As a general rule, you should take it easy when you have a cold. Nevertheless, a harmless cold without fever, cough or sore throat is initially no reason for a sports ban. As a rule, you can do sports even if you have a slight cold – if you feel fit enough yourself. However, if you are doing sports while you have a cold, you should not put too much strain on yourself and rather choose only a moderate training program. It is also advisable to have a doctor check beforehand whether you have an infection. If you feel exhausted, it is better not to exercise. Listen to your body and if in doubt, rather give yourself a break.
When better not to do sports?
If the cold goes beyond a minor cold, sport is taboo and bed rest is the order of the day. The immune system already has enough to do with fighting the disease. In this situation, sport only represents additional stress for the body and can overtax the immune system. In the following cases, sports may pose a threat to health:
- In case of fever
- In case of viral infection or bacterial inflammation
- In case of flu or a strong flu-like infection
- In case of sore throat, as this can be a harbinger of tonsillitis
- While taking antibiotics or analgesic and antipyretic drugs.
If in doubt, ask your doctor if exercise is advisable in your case.
Risks from exercise when you have a cold
If you play sports when you have a bacterial or viral infection with a fever, you risk your health. This is because the sporting activity could cause the viruses or bacteria to travel through the body and affect other organs, causing inflammation there. In the worst case, the pathogens can reach the heart. Then a life-threatening heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis) threatens. Even with a mild cold, it is important not to overdo it with sports. Excessive exertion quickly becomes a burden on the immune system and can lead to secondary diseases such as bronchitis, angina or pneumonia.
Does exercise help against the common cold?
In healthy individuals, exercise has been shown to strengthen the immune system. Therefore, it is often assumed that sports are good against colds. Some even say a cold can be “sweated out” by exercising. However, experts strongly advise against heavy physical exertion when you have a cold. For a sweating cure against a cold, sport is therefore just as unsuitable as a visit to the sauna. It is better to lie down in bed to sweat. Nevertheless, even during a cold, a little physical activity can help support the immune system. Exercise increases the blood supply to the whole body and thus, for example, also to the mucous membranes that are under attack. However, the prerequisite is that it is only a very mild cold without fever and that you feel fit enough to do sports.
What types of sports are suitable for a cold?
It is better to avoid the gym when you have a cold – also so as not to infect anyone else. If the weather is right, moderate outdoor endurance sports such as walking or light jogging are particularly suitable for a harmless cold. If you don’t feel quite fit but still want to exercise, you can take a walk in the fresh air. Sunshine stimulates the production of vitamins and hormones, speeding up recovery.
Consider temperatures and clothing
Even with a mild cold, you should avoid great exertion. This includes not only strength-sapping sports, but also the external conditions: Extreme temperatures or clothing that is too warm or too cold put a strain on the immune system. Be careful not to cool down and dress best according to the onion principle.
Sports break after a cold
How long the break should last after a cold depends on the disease. In general, the more severe the infection, the longer the break from sports. After a mild cold or a bit of a sniffle, you can resume exercising once the symptoms have disappeared and the illness is cured.After a febrile infection, it is advisable not to do any sports for at least a week. Even if the symptoms have been alleviated – for example, through medication or rest – the body may still be weakened by the fading illness. In any case, you should start slowly after a cold and begin with a light endurance program. Over the course of several days, you can then gradually increase. If you do too much again too soon, you can quickly suffer a relapse. Heart palpitations at the slightest exertion can then be a sign of heart muscle inflammation.
Children and pregnant women
For children, the same applies to colds as for adults: a slight cold is no reason to refrain from sports, as long as the child feels fit enough. If the illness goes beyond a minor cold, a warm bed, lots of vitamins and plenty to drink will help to get well quickly. During pregnancy, endurance sports such as swimming or cycling are a good way to prevent a cold. However, if the cold does come on, pregnant women should avoid sports, as the strain on the immune system would otherwise be too great. Short walks are fine as long as the outside temperatures are neither too high nor too low.
Risk of catching a cold after exercise
Exercise does not always help a healthy body prevent a cold. Exercise can also promote a cold. This is because those who have sweated profusely during training in the warm gym easily catch a cold on the way back, especially in the cold season. The reason for this is the so-called “open-window phenomenon”: after intense exertion, the body is particularly susceptible to pathogens. Therefore, you should protect yourself especially well from the cold after sports to prevent a cold.
