Does working out have anything to do with catching colds?!
Question: It's not often I work out any muscle group to the point I get sore muscles. Every time I have a cold, it's always accompanied by first getting a sore throat from being in the cold air too much, or working a muscle till it's sore the next day.
Does the body's 'mechanism' for repairing muscle tissue have anything to do with the immune system or maybe the release of toxins resulting in what would feel like the common cold (other muscle aches, grogginess, stuffy nose, slight fever, etc...).?
It's too much for coincidence that when I have a cold it's either with a sore throat or sore muscles. There is a definite pattern here. The sore throat is easy to explain. A sore throat is basically having an open wound giving a direct passage into the blood stream.
Any insight would be appreciated,
Mike G
Answers: It's not often I work out any muscle group to the point I get sore muscles. Every time I have a cold, it's always accompanied by first getting a sore throat from being in the cold air too much, or working a muscle till it's sore the next day.
Does the body's 'mechanism' for repairing muscle tissue have anything to do with the immune system or maybe the release of toxins resulting in what would feel like the common cold (other muscle aches, grogginess, stuffy nose, slight fever, etc...).?
It's too much for coincidence that when I have a cold it's either with a sore throat or sore muscles. There is a definite pattern here. The sore throat is easy to explain. A sore throat is basically having an open wound giving a direct passage into the blood stream.
Any insight would be appreciated,
Mike G
These absolutely can go together. When you work out, you degrade your muscles to the point where the body needs to repair them which is why they get sore (this is a good thing because when they get repaired they get bigger), but the damage also requires an immune reaction. If your immune system is busy repairing your muscles, it won't have as many resources to devote to fighting a cold, so you become a little more susceptible. I wouldn't use this fact to keep you from working out, though, because overall you will be healthier if you stay active.
By the way, I think the cause of a sore throat is that often bacterial/viral infections proliferate in your throat at first and then move to other parts of the body (so the sore throat goes away, but you are sick in a different way). If you gargle with germ-killing Listerine when you have a sore throat for a bacterial infection, it will actually make your throat feel better.
no, there is no correlation to working out and getting a cold. its actually the opposite. If you work out you are less likely to get a cold. What you are experiencing is a weakened immune system from the cold. A cold takes 2-3 days to come after exposure. During that time, your body's immune system is trying to fight the virus off. This is why you feel achy along with the sore throat. Your body is concentrating more of its energy to fight the cold rather than repair the muscle from working out.
Stress and the cold air only makes your body more susceptible to the germs that cause the colds or flu.
If you over exert yourself, your body needs to recuperate. Its not so much that the tissue repairing system has anything to do with the immune system, rather if your worn out your immune system will suffer leaving you more susceptible to colds.
stress on the body can make you more inclined to getting sick- or a cold. Do you work out in a gym? Perhaps you are contracting the colds from the equipment. Make sure you wash your hands well before touching your face, eyes or nose when you work out at the gym.