Should you exercise when you’re sick? The answer is not so simple

While some swear by rest when sick, others say the best way to get back on your feet is to exercise. But is it really advisable to exercise when you are sick? The answer is quite complex and we explain why.

Everything will depend on your illness and its severity.

We probably no longer have to mention the benefits of sport for our health and well-being. Many studies have shown that sport is essential to avoid problems such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol levels and various cardiovascular diseases. Sport is also an excellent way to manage stress and anxiety, but also to delay aging. Thus, it is undeniable that human beings need to play sports.

But is it necessary that he also do it when he is sick? According to experts, answering this question is complicated, because there are several possible answers. In fact, it mainly depends on the disease, as well as the condition of the patient, reported LiveScience. Obviously, a person hospitalized for any disease will certainly need rest and will not be able to play sports, since hospitalization means that the patient’s condition is more or less worrying.

But if it is less serious illnesses such as a cold, a slight sore throat or a headache, nothing prevents you from playing sports, even if you are sick. On the other hand, the scientists explained that if it was possible to train when you have a cold, there is no evidence that it is really effective in fighting against this disease. Insofar as playing sports strengthens the immune system, this could be the case, but no studies on this subject have been carried out to date.

Watch out for excess

Of course, there are limits when it comes to playing sports while sick. First of all, it is strongly advised not to play sports if you have a fever, but also if the disease has symptoms that manifest themselves below the level of the neck. In this second case, the explanation is simple: most of the problems whose symptoms appear above the level of the neck do not involve the heart and the lungs, two organs that are highly stressed when playing sports.

Finally, there is one last rule to follow when you want to play sports when you are sick. Your sick organism is certainly not as efficient as your organism when it is healthy. Thus, it is necessary to know how to recognize its limits and not to make too much effort. When you expend too much energy, it tends to weaken the immune system more than to strengthen it, and this can therefore make you even more sick. So, while there are potential benefits to exercising when you are ill, exercising regularly when you are healthy is best.