Cold and fever after doing extensive cardio sport?

Question

Every Sunday I do soccer in the morning for two hours where I run non stop and sweat extensively. After the sport I take a shower and take the bus home, but by the time I get home my dry and clean shirt becomes soaking wet as I keep on sweating.

As the day advances I am starting to get a headache, and occasionally a smallish fever by night. This happens most of the time,and I have yet to solve this issue. Should I wear more clothes? Or change shirt multiple time? I also try to drink a lot, but I have not yet found a 100% solution.

Answer 1

I believe this is dehydration and/or exhaustion. There are multiple message boards and online forums where people conclude this. Here is just one example I too have experienced this MULTIPLE times, usually after extremely hard workouts or prolonged endurance events. I've done multiple 24-hour ski races where I never stop during the 24-hours. I end up staying awake for close to 40 hours and by the end I am too exhausted to maintain body temperature. My two fastest marathons resulted in the same thing. I was as healthy as I could possibly be before, during and after the marathon (my results in the race prove that) but I was feverish for a few hours later in the day). I've since discovered I was never hydrating enough during my marathons and concluding I was overly dehydrated at the end of each one.

Couple of things to try:

• Are you taking a HOT shower after soccer? I've noticed if I workout/perform to exhaustion and then take a HOT shower I can have issues. My body is too tired to regulate its temperature as it normally can. If you are taking a very hot shower maybe turn the temperature down a bit.

• Hydrate a bit before, during and immediately after the workout.

• I'd also ensure you eat something within an hour after working out. The first 60 minutes after a workout of thta length are the most important for fueling. See this link for an explanation and especially note this:

"After exercise your muscles have a 'glycogen window'. This occurs 30-90 mins after you finish exercising.

Glucose (from carbs or sports drinks etc) is converted to glycogen to replenish your muscle store.

During this window, you will store glycogen at four times the normal rate.

If you want to fuel you next running session. Eat!"

If you try these three things I think your body will react better after the workout.

Answer 2

People that did a lot of exercise can have a lowered immune response, so they end up sick. Usually after many hours of working out like after marathons or ultra-marathons and so on some people get sick because their immune system doesn't have enough resources to fight off infections.

That depends on your condition - do you work out a lot, how do you eat (do you eat a normal western diet or a healthy one), do you have any medical conditions. They all can influence your immune system.

I think resting a little bit more after the training would be great. Wearing wormer clothes can't harm (unless it's too warm).

I'd also focus on food you eat which is the fuel for your body and immune system. If you usually eat processed foods, bread, pasta with just a little addition of fruits, veggies and meat I'd suggest switching the diet to more healthy one - limiting gluten intake, eating more lean meat and veggies should help in your condition.

But if you already do eat like that you should consider visiting a doctor.

Answer 3

I play tournament badminton and having fever after a tournament or even longer games is standard for me. I get high body temperature, sore throat, clogged nose and all flu-like symptoms. Have to get under a warm blanket or wear a pullover cos of the cold. The symptoms stay only until night, and next morning they're gone.

I eat properly during longer game sessions and take sugary drinks, as it is a must to be able to play for over 2 hours. The elevated temperature is something that simply seems to follow, hasn't changed during my level has gone higher, rather the opposite, things get more and more intense. Badminton is very intense exercise where you go with maximum intensity and cardio almost all the time, and a really aching body is another steady reward. Sometimes can hardly walk to the bus, it can be so heavy on the feet and also the back, the arm... often feel like the whole body is on fire, and in addition get the fever.

A doctor told me it is normal and a result from micro damages to the muscles in intense training. The body sort of thinks that muscles are damaged and raises the temperature to fight microbes. I haven't gotten any muscle damages, apart a torn tendon that was recently operated but that's a different story. Otherwise my muscles are doing fine.

Answer 4

Your issue is extremely common and simple. I also have a lot of experience with this.

Your workout produce too much stress and your body have unsufficent means to deal with that. There is no magic workaround as far as I know. You need to do less and hope that your work capacity/tolerance will increase over time. I would suggest:

1. do less
2. rest more (for some people: learn how to rest first)
3. limit other stress (junk food, alcohol and other drugs, other sport activities, work related stress...)
4. ... all the other stuff everybody should do, you name it

This issue is greatly described in "The big book of endurance training and racing" by Maffetone. If you want better explanation, please read that book.