I’ve done a lot of fasts in the 3-5 day range and am quite comfortable with fasting protocols. I’m in day 4 and was planning to break fast on morning of day 6.
My wife had a long lasting cold that I seemed to pick up before my fast. It was pretty minor for 4-5 days, but has gotten a bit worse. I have a sore throat, cough, nasal congestion and generally feel like crap from those conditions. It is the sort of condition where I’d normally stay home from work but not see a doctor. Aside from the cold, I feel fine and should be able to keep going as planned.
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Is there any risk from fasting in those conditions?
It depends on how you feel as you go and if you are taking medication for the symptoms. I have not stopped a fast when having cold symptoms. For me fasting seems to help me recover quicker. I do stop a fast if I start to feel continually lightheaded. Make sure you are consuming electrolytes and drinking enough water.
There’s no definitive answer here. You’ll have to judge how you feel as the fast progresses. You’ll get dehydrated faster when sick, so as the other commenter suggested, be diligent with electrolytes and fluids!
I went in to my Jan 2nd fast with a bad cold or flu and nasal congestion and am now on day 5 and starting to feel a lot better. Worst part was sleep but had a good sleep last night. I did put a tiny amount of honey into my green tea plus a slice of lemon which seemed to help my throat. I think fasting helped, but who knows. I do know dogs and other animals don’t eat when they are sick.
For me (with seven kids), it seems like something is always going around. As soon as I feel a cold coming on, I immediately start fasting. At least for me, this reduced the length and severity of my cold. If I am already fasting, I keep right at it.