Working Out with a Cough

[ericrpetersen]

Fellow Rebels,

 

I am currently in a bind where I had a cold for a few days - runny nose, severe cough, difficulty breathing, the works. Fortunately I have gotten past toe runny nose and the sense of impeding doom. Now here lyes the problem, I tend to keep the cough for several weeks, and this isn't a simple *cough cough* oh so wimpy, these are full blown, straight the gut, type coughs that are deep and sound painful (although they aren't).

 

Here lies the question, what do you all recommend for working out when one is:

 

1) In the middle of their illness? Should someone work out at their full routine? I feel like you shouldn't because it would be nice to have your full immune system fighting the illness and not splitting time between that and recovering your body - although I cannot say I am an expert on that. What do you think?

 

2) When one is no longer ill but still recovering, what are some good ideas for working out? Just suck it up and do your normal routine? Ways to take it slow? Wait until fully recovered?

 

3) Strong burly coughs that are agitated by working out because of the increase in breathing, heart rate, etc?

 

[cline]

depends how I feel.  I often workout through a cold.  BUT if you work out in a communal space (like a gym) be mindful of other people and spreading your nastiness or even the perceived spread of your nasty.  Wipe equipment extra carefully and don't workout where you'll have coughing fits near the other people. 

 

All that being said, it depends how you feel.  If it's just down to a lingering cough but you are fine otherwise, do what feels good.  If you were running a fever, that would be different. 

 

It's one of those "listen to your body" things. 

[ericrpetersen]

I partially ask to make sure working out while you are recovering won't hinder that. Does anyone have some scientific knowledge on this?

[Guest Dirty Deads]

Sounds like your immune system has already taken care of the bad guys. Now the cough is likely remaining irritation. I like to do stuff to get my lungs working, sure it makes you cough more, but coughing is your body trying to get rid of whatever is in there. I say do what you'd normally do. 

[ericrpetersen]

So wise, thanks!

[Evicious]

Acute exercise effects on the immune system.

Rowbottom DG, Green KJ.

Source

School of Human Movement Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. d.rowbottom@qut.edu.au

Abstract

PURPOSE:

In recent years, health professionals have placed increased attention on the benefits of physical activity for maintaining health in the general population as well as regaining health in many disease states. Conversely, reports of apparent decreases in immune cell function after acute exercise are widespread in the literature. The purpose of this article is to evaluate critically the available data and currently employed methods, with the aim of establishing whether genuine or artefactual alterations of immune function are being reported. During and immediately after exercise, the total number of white blood cells in peripheral blood samples increases, such that the relative proportions of cell types within the leukocyte pool are altered. A number of important areas of discussion arise from these shifts in the number of circulating cells after exercise, not least of which is the artefactual effects they may have on currently employed assays of immune cell function. Recent advances in methodology are beginning to call into question the assumption that acute exercise has any genuine immunosuppressive effect.

CONCLUSION:

At present, there is little evidence to suggest that the range of acute exercise intensities and durations recommended by ACSM has a major detrimental effect on the function of individual T- and B-lymphocytes, natural killer cells and neutrophils. Although individual cells may not be as adversely affected as previously supposed, it is unclear whether the numerical content of the circulating population is an important clinical consideration.