It’s well known that regular exercise is good for our immune system and overall health but there is a commonly held misbelief that an acute bout of exercise can temporarily suppress the immune system. For example, many coaches and athletes believe that a vigorous bout of exercise can cause a short-term increased susceptibility to viruses and this is referred to as the open window hypothesis.
Whilst it is true that a single bout of vigorous exercise has a profound effect on the functional capacity of the immune system with all immune cell populations in the blood stream showing alterations, it is debatable whether this leads to immune suppression or an adaptive immune reaction with enhanced antibacterial and antiviral immunity led by the redeployment of immune systems.
For more information on this, check out RockTape Education Director and Owner of the Physio Channel Daniel Lawrence’s video.