![]() ![]() ![]() Go back to basics: ensure you’re getting enough sleep, partaking in regular exercise and eating a balanced diet rich with fruit and veg. "Boosting it isn’t something that you can achieve overnight, but if you take extra care of your immune system in the weeks running up to a break, it can make a big difference." "A strong immune system relies on paying attention to both your physical and mental health," he shares. "Taking extra care of your immune system in the weeks running up to a break can make a big difference" Taking good care of our immune systems should be right at the top of our to-do lists, adds Dr Powles, usurping 'skipping that much-craved yoga class in order to respond to emails'. The consequences of which can lead to longer recovery times – something that's never preferable. In our modern society, where being so busy you're almost at the point of snapping in half like gingerbread man is somewhat of a medal of honour, it's far too easy to put both our physical and emotional health on the back burner. Those who were taught to listen to their body, take care of it and take the time and rest needed to recuperate when poorly will often respond better to illness than those who were taught that illness was a weakness, and who were encouraged to ignore any symptoms and keep going."ĭr Spelman also stresses it's crucial we allow ourselves proper and adequate time to rest when we become sick too. "Our parents' approach to self-care as we grew up matters. She adds that our childhood can come into play when dealing with sickness too. "There is a strong connection between mind and body which should never be underestimated," says Dr Becky Spelman, psychologist and clinical director of Private Therapy Clinic, when I asked if it's possible to schedule being unwell. It seems this experience is also another way of highlighting how strong our brain-body connection truly is. When you experience these symptoms, they can – you've guessed it – weaken your immune system and lead to illness, too. Similarly, after a stressful time, you might feel the 'let-down effect', which can result in mental health symptoms surfacing such as anxiety, depression, and irritability. This again can leave you open to infection." "Once work pressures have eased and you’re feeling more relaxed, your body stops producing as much adrenaline and increases your cortisol levels, weakening your immune system. ![]() "Adrenaline boosts your immune system, whereas cortisol suppresses it," he explains. This can leave you more vulnerable to infection whilst you’re off too."ĭr Powles also shares that this stress causes the body to produce hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, and that these hormones act in different ways. "Some people find that the rush to meet pre-holiday deadlines can be a busy and stressful time, putting a strain on your immune system and making it difficult to transition from work to leisure time. The free time that comes with a break may lead you to notice that you’re not feeling your best. "The idea is that the more distractions we have, the less we notice our symptoms or feel ill. However, it’s possible you might not notice you're becoming poorly until you have a break, especially if you’ve had a lot on," says Dr Luke Powles, Clinical Director, from Bupa Health Clinics, adding that our perception of how we’re feeling can very much change depending on our environment. "It isn't possible to 'delay' getting sick. One woman even told me she'd once felt a nasty bug appear the moment she'd delivered a big work presentation, theorising that her body may have been so full of adrenaline up until that moment that she hadn't been able to 'give in' to feeling poorly.īut is that really what's going on with our bodies when something like that happens? I was officially sick with The Cold that everyone appears to be coming down with of late.īut is it really possible to 'delay' getting sick? And why is it that, anecdotally at least, so many of us seem to routinely fall ill on our days off, or whilst on holiday relaxing, or even over the Christmas break?Īfter posting on Instagram about this odd phenomenon, I immediately received dozens of messages from people saying they'd experienced something similar. ![]() and when I woke up that Saturday morning, hey presto! There it was. But, I decided, I don't have time to be ill until the weekend (can't these germs see I have deadlines?). I could feel it coming on for a few days prior: the scratchy throat, the runny nose and the faint threat of a full-blown headache. ![]()
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