DOES OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPOND TO EXERCISE?
Our life changed in the past 10 months. The Covid pandemic has hit hard on people’s body and mind. But it is definitely time to bounce back.
The most important word that we heard during this pandemic is boosting of our immune system. When all of us are restricted in our movements attending online classes and working from home, even a short break from sitting by doing a few minutes of physical activity like walking or stretching can ease muscle strain. Regular physical activity has numerous benefits like managing your body weight, improving muscle and bone health, boosting stamina and reducing the risk of chronic diseases along with a positive impact on our mental health, cognitive functioning and memory.
But does exercise have any impact on our immune system? Yes, it does boost our immune system! But at the same time we should remember that not all exercise is completely helpful to your immune system.
Physical activity reduces the bacteria in our lungs and airways. The brief rise in body temperature during and right after exercise may prevent bacteria from growing. Since exercise increases blood flow in our body, it also increases the circulation of immune cells, making them roam the body at a higher rate and at higher numbers. Moreover, exercise helps to recruit highly specialized immune cells—such as natural killer cells and T cells which find pathogens like viruses and wipe them out.
So does vigorous exercise stimulate the immune system to a greater extent? It may act reversely too. Sometimes heavy intense exercise can transiently suppress immune function up to three hours post-exercise which may lead to an increased susceptibility to upper respiratory illness. But this position is transit and returns to normal after a few hours.
Now a very common question people have is if they should exercise while they are sick. The general rule is not to exercise if our symptoms are below the neck like chest congestion, a hacking cough, upset stomach, fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches. If we have symptoms above the neck, such as a simple head cold, it is generally okay to engage in light easy exercise. But if sometimes easy exercise makes us feel worse, then we should stop exercising and rest until you have recovered.
Last but not the least regular moderate exercise can reduce the negative effects of stress on our immunity and pump up our endorphin levels which have a positive impact on the immune system of our body.
For More Info- twitter.com
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