Can You Sweat Out a Cold? Tips for Recovery

Sweating may provide temporary relief from cold symptoms, but it won’t shorten the duration of your cold. Colds typically last 7–10 days.

Sweating out a cold is the idea that using heat, exercise, or things that can make us sweat makes a cold go away faster.

Sweat, or perspiration, is water that’s released from sweat glands in your skin. It’s your body’s way of cooling down.

When your body temperature rises, your nervous system sends a message to your sweat glands to secrete water onto your skin. When this water evaporates off of your skin, it causes a cooling effect.

Sweat is mostly made up of water. It also contains small amounts of other substances, such as electrolytes and vitamins.

While some of the methods used to “sweat out a cold” may provide temporary symptom relief, they don’t shorten the time that you’re sick. It normally takes 7 to 10 days to recover from the common cold.

You can attempt to “sweat out a cold” using various methods, including:

• inhaling warm steam
• visiting a sauna or steam room
• exercise

These activities may temporarily relieve nasal congestion because they help to loosen nasal mucus. However, it’s the exposure to warm, moist air or physical activity, not the actual sweat, that’s beneficial in this case.

You may have heard that exposure to hot steam can help treat a cold. But does hot steam, such as what’s found in a hot shower or steam room, actually help?

A 2017 analysis of six trials found that being exposed to heated, humid air was neither harmful nor beneficial for people with the common cold.

Steam inhalation therapy may pose the risk of burning or scalding from steam or water that’s too hot.

There isn’t enough evidence to determine if a sauna can treat colds.

If you do decide to visit a sauna, try to follow the safety tips below:

• Limit your sauna time to about 15 or 20 minutes.
• Avoid food or drinks that can cause dehydration, such as alcohol, caffeine, or salty foods. You can lose up to a fair amount of sweat from just a short sauna.
• Rehydrate after your sauna by drinking two to four glasses of cool water.
• Cool down gradually after your sauna. Going directly from a hot sauna to a cold environment can put unnecessary stress on your body.
• If you feel unwell at any time during your sauna, leave and cool off.
• Do not use a sauna if you’re pregnant.

It’s fine to try to get a workout in if you have the common cold. Exercise can temporarily relieve cold symptoms such as nasal congestion.

That said, you should always take into account how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling pretty bad, you should just take a day off. You also shouldn’t exercise if your symptoms include fever, congestion in your chest, or cough.

If you do choose to work out while sick, consider reducing the intensity or the length of your exercise. As always, you should remember to stay hydrated while working out.

Follow the tips below to help yourself recover from the common cold:

• Rest up! Your body needs to fight off the illness. Try to get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep each night.
• Stay hydrated. Not only does this help your body fight your infection, but it can also loosen mucus. Warm liquids such as tea or broth can help soothe a scratchy throat. Try to avoid items that can cause dehydration, such as caffeine, alcohol, and salty foods.
• Use over-the-counter (OTC) medications to help relieve symptoms. Decongestants, pain relievers, and expectorants can help keep your symptoms under control. Be sure to follow the correct dosing guidelines.
• Gargle with saltwater if you have a sore throat. This can help reduce pain and swelling.
• Use a humidifier. Dry air can make your symptoms worse. Adding some moisture to the air can help keep your nasal passages moist and relieve congestion.

You may have heard that it’s beneficial to “sweat out a cold.” While exposure to heated air or exercise may help temporarily relieve symptoms, there’s little evidence to suggest that they can help treat a cold.

You’re best off fighting your cold by getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, and taking OTC medications to relieve your symptoms. Your cold should resolve itself within 7 to 10 days.

Sweating Out a Cold: Working Out When Sick

You may have heard friends say they’re going to the gym in hopes of sweating out a cold—but, does it really work? Terry Kang, MD, UnityPoint Health explains all the things you should keep in mind if you’re considering working up a sweat while fighting off a bug.

The Science Behind Sweating Out a Cold

When trying to decide if you should consider sweating out a cold, it’s helpful to understand the effect exercise has on the body. Dr. Kang says working out usually boosts the body’s metabolism, as well as the body’s immune response. However, an intense workout usually has the opposite effect.

“During exercise, our body releases chemicals to repair itself and control the level of stress in our body. This is helpful in fighting of infections. When the levels of exercise get too intense, steroid is released by our body to fight off stress. Steroids decrease the ability of the cells that fight off infections to work and lowered our immunity, temporarily. ”

The Good & the Bad of Exercising When Sick

If you’re wondering how much is too much working out with a cold, Dr. Kang says any mild to moderate, low-impact exercise for shorter periods of time, like 30 minutes, is OK and allows the body to boost immunity and metabolism to fight off infections, like a cold. Here are good ways to exercise while sick:

• Walking
• Light jogging
• Yoga
• Meditation

“When I’m sick, I generally stick to walking for 30 minutes. I advise my patients to participate in yoga and meditation because they have been proven to increase immunity,” Dr. Kang says.

If you are exercising when sick, make sure to focus on hydration. Drink plenty of fluids, and keep electrolytes in check with Pedialyte or other drinks containing electrolytes. Dr. Kang suggests skipping sports drinks, because while they may contain electrolytes, they also have a great deal of sugar, which can lead to diarrhea.  

On the flip side, if you’ve got a cold, exercising for long amounts of time, like two hours, isn’t a good idea and neither are any high-intensity options. Exercises you should skip while sick include:

• Long races (like marathons)
• Heavy lifting
• Intense, interval-style workouts

Dr. Kang also says if your body is working to fight an infection, you may be weaker than normal and more vulnerable to injury.

Cold Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

Dr. Kang says there are illness signs you shouldn’t ignore, especially if you are considering moderate to heavy exercise. If you notice any of the following symptoms, it’s just best to stay home and rest.

• Fever
• Muscle & joint pain
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Diarrhea

“These symptoms are generally signs the infection is wide spread. It’s also a sign your body is busy fighting off infection and needs resources directed toward fighting off infection,” Dr. Kang says.

He adds, if you combine nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and/or sweating, you have an equation for dehydration, which isn’t safe. 

Germs at the Gym

If you don’t have a bug, the gym is a good place to get one. Dr. Kang says to keep in mind that a cold or flu can easily spread from person to person in an indoor gym, and you should take precautions to protect yourself.

“When you are in the gym, it’s easy to catch infection from other people. You are in close quarters where they are doing activities that may induce more coughing and bodily fluid loss. Make sure you wipe down the equipment before and after use. If you are coughing, you should be using a mask. Wash your hands before and after working out,” Dr. Kang says.

If you’re thinking about doing a short workout outside, Dr. Kang says you really should check the forecast first.

“You should avoid really hot or really cold environments that can quickly change your core body temperature. Your body uses temperature regulation as a way to fight off infections, such as a virus,” Dr. Kang says.

For example, running in the rain can cool down your body and prevent the body from raising its core temperature to fight off infection.

Post-Illness Return to Activity

Once the symptoms become mild, Dr. Kang says it’s OK to return to light to moderate exercise with caution.

“There is no hard guidance on how to return to exercise after resting from illness. You should keep in mind that you have used up your reserves inside to fight off the infection. Start low and go slow. Hitting the gym hard suddenly to make up for lost time can lead to muscle damage and other injuries,” Dr. Kang says.

What the Doctor Recommends

Overall, Dr. Kang says to listen to your body when determining if you feel up for getting in some exercise when sick. If you do choose to be active:

• Keep it mild
• Aim for shorter amounts of time
• Take frequent breaks
• Hydrate properly

“One study on mice tells us a good story on exercise. Three sets of mice were given flu virus. The first set included sedentary mice and least number of mice from this group caught the flu. The second set did 120 minutes of running on treadmill. Unfortunately, they had the highest number of flu infection and death from it. The third and last set of mice performed light running on a treadmill. This group had a higher number of flu infection than the sedentary group, but they recovered faster and the number of deaths was much less. From this experiment, we drew the conclusion that light exercise can expose you to more flu, but you can recover faster and have fewer complications,” Dr. Kang says.

Is it possible to swim in case of a cold?

During a cold, the patient sweats, and this is very useful. Together with sweat, toxins are removed from the body. For this reason, doctors often advise the patient to drink hot tea and medicinal decoctions to enhance the excretion of harmful components.

Sweat does not completely evaporate. It remains on the surface of the body, mixing with dust particles and pathogens, clogging the pores of the skin, which leads to a significant difficulty in removing harmful substances. A shower will help you get rid of sweat while improving the elimination of toxins.

Bathing is a daily hygiene activity. Therefore, there is no reason to refuse the latter during a cold.

Benefits of bathing
Continuing to talk about showering when you have a cold, it should be noted that detoxification is not the only positive side of bathing. Water procedures help in solving a number of annoying problems for the patient.

1. Relieve body aches. This symptom almost always accompanies respiratory problems. A hot shower helps to get rid of the feeling of body aches, reduces joint pain, and provides muscle relaxation.
2. Better breathing. High humidity and hot steam have a positive effect on the respiratory system. In the case of nasal congestion, it “opens”, and the profuse nasopharynx passes quickly.
3. Cough relief. Hot steam acts on the nasopharynx on the principle of inhalation. The therapeutic effect can be enhanced with the help of medicinal plants and essential oils. It is important to make sure that there are no allergies in advance. Bathing contributes to the transition of a dry cough into a “sputum-excreting” one. In addition, it effectively fights attacks of laryngitis.
4. Increased tone. A cold is accompanied by fatigue, body aches, and a decrease in mood. Such feelings do not contribute to recovery. A hot shower provides relaxation and an increase in overall tone. Thus, it mobilizes the body to fight the disease.

In addition to useful properties, water procedures also have disadvantages. They can contribute to the development of hyperthermia and increased pressure. Sometimes bathing causes headaches, up to the development of a migraine and a sharp deterioration in well-being.

What kind of bathing and how to take during a cold?

In order not to harm the body, it is necessary to take a bath correctly. In this case, you can not be afraid of unpleasant consequences. So, it is necessary to strictly observe 5 rules.

Avoid alcohol. It is strictly forbidden to take alcohol before bathing. This applies not only to alcoholic beverages, but also to alcohol-based drugs. Alcohol, despite all expectations, does not contribute to the fight against colds, it reduces the protective properties of the body, which is already weakened, and it is clearly not worth overloading it additionally. Give up the idea of ​​taking a foot bath after drinking alcoholic beverages – this can lead to a lightning drop in blood pressure and fainting.

Duration of manipulations. Regardless of how much time you spend in the bathroom, during a cold, you should limit the time of the bath itself. A humid environment helps fight coughs and colds. However, with its prolonged exposure to the body, it can stimulate the production of sputum. And this, in turn, will lead to the opposite effect – an increase in the phenomena of colds and coughs. In order not to aggravate the state of one’s own health, water procedures should be limited in time, up to 10, maximum, up to 15 minutes.

Water temperature. So, can you take hot baths when you have a cold? Here the answer must be categorically “no”. A sick person is forbidden to take an excessively hot bath. Too high water temperature can contribute to an increase in body temperature, up to hyperthermia. Warm water is good for bathing. The water temperature should fluctuate between 36-37 ° C.

Hair wash. It is recommended to refuse this manipulation. It is uncovered hair (especially long hair) that often leads to hypothermia. And this can aggravate the condition of a cold.

If it is necessary to wash the hair, it is better to postpone this action until the bathing process is completed. Washed hair at the end of bathing should be wiped with a fluffy towel and dried thoroughly with a hair dryer.

Bath time. It is advisable to bathe in the evening, just before going to bed. After bathing, you must immediately lie down in a warm bed. To enhance the warming effect, be sure to wear warm leggings.

Five contraindications

Not always and not everyone is shown water procedures. So, in what cases should you not swim with a cold?

• High temperature. If a cold is accompanied by a high fever, it is advisable not to bathe. Otherwise, an even higher temperature rise is possible. We must limit ourselves to a quick hot shower.
• Cardiovascular pathologies. People suffering from various cardiovascular pathologies (circulatory disorders, hypertension, hypotension, varicose veins) are prohibited from swimming. At the same time, even in the absence of a cold, doctors recommend limiting baths. Bath procedures activate the circulatory system. Thus, they increase the load on the heart and blood vessels.
• Migraine. Bathing with a severe headache can lead to increased discomfort and poor well-being.
  Diabetes. In this case, bathing can lead to a sharp drop in blood glucose levels, which is very dangerous for a diabetic patient.
  Pregnancy. A cold weakens a woman’s body, and if it is also affected by hot water, this will lead to a noticeable increase in the risk of miscarriage or premature birth.

Therapeutic baths

To intensify the healing process, it is useful to take baths with medicinal plants and aromatic essential oils. If there are no such ingredients at hand, then you can pay attention to those products that increase the protective properties of the body.

Before using new ingredients, especially essential oils, an allergy test should be carried out. Otherwise, instead of the expected cure, you can cause serious harm to your health.

Warm water treatments are really helpful during a cold. They can speed up the healing process. However, it is important to remember about contraindications and strictly follow the above rules.

9 simple steps to quickly recover from a cold

Text: Yulia Abramova

Special project “Lifehacks”

The cold season has come, and with it colds and SARS. If a cold has not been avoided, then let’s try to cure it as soon as possible.

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First of all, you need to warm up. If your feet are cold, take a mustard bath, a method familiar to us from childhood. Soak your feet in water for fifteen minutes, adding hot water as needed. After that, you need to wipe your feet dry, put on woolen socks and climb under the covers. If you don’t want to do a foot bath, you can just pour mustard powder into your socks and go to bed.

Get rid of toxins

During an illness, you need to get rid of toxins . To do this, you need to sweat – it is advisable to drink a hot drink, and wrap yourself in a blanket. It’s good if you manage to fall asleep, but if it’s very hot, you’ll have to be patient. By the way, you should not bring down the temperature if it is not higher than 38, since an increase in temperature indicates that the body is fighting the disease. After sweating, dry your body with a hot, damp towel to remove the released toxins. Then change into dry clothes.

3 Drink liquid

At the same time, drink as much liquid as possible . For example, in order to sweat, you need tea with ginger root – for this you need to peel a piece of the root and, finely chopped, put it together with tea leaves in a teapot and pour the required amount of boiling water. In addition, you need to drink herbal teas – at least half a liter per day. As well as tea with raspberry jam – by the way, it also helps to warm up and sweat – tea with lemon and honey, linden blossom decoction.

4. Gargle

We must not forget about getting rid of painful and unpleasant sensations. So, when you have a cold, you need to gargle throat several times a day , for example, with a saline solution or herbal infusion. It is important to rinse your throat as soon as you wake up, before eating, to remove the plaque that has formed.

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inhalation is another important method. To do this, you need to take any convenient container, fill it with herbal infusion, for example, chamomile, eucalyptus or oak bark, cover yourself with a towel and bend over it. Take 50 breaths through your mouth and 50 through your nose in this way, but all exhalations must be done through your nose.

6. Drink Vitamin C Get more vitamin C as it has anti-cold properties. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits: oranges, lemons, grapefruits. You can also use the usual ascorbic acid.
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To do this, you need to use a special vial or any empty vial. Dial a salt solution into it – for this you need to mix half a teaspoon of salt with a glass of water. Then tilt your head to one side, insert the tip of the vial into your nostril and pour the liquid. This must be done in such a way that the solution passes through one nostril and flows out of the other. Repeat the procedure for the other nostril.

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Relax ! Carrying a cold on your feet is a dangerous occupation. There may be complications, and besides, you will not cure it as quickly as you would like. Allow yourself to relax, unwind and sleep well.