Do you always seem to get sick once your stress has subsided?

It is quite common for us to hear that people have come down with a cold or get sick on holidays. Have you ever wondered why, when you’re finally giving your body what it has been asking for  – rest – it decides to get sick? This occurs as a result of long term strain on the immune system caused by stress.

Pesky Immune System

During times of stress, glucocorticoids (hormones) are released along with other stress hormones, including cortisol. Our body treats stress as if it has to fight an infection. The immune system ramps up and gets ready to bring in the big guns. It is thought that the glucocorticoids can re-activate latent viruses (such as herpes simplex I – cold sores). Once the period of stress is over, our fight or flight systems start to shut down, and our immune system decreases its activity as well, and the symptoms of whatever bug your body has been fighting become more apparent.

The Let Down Effect

We call this reduction in immune function after stress the Let Down Effect, a term coined by Dr Marc Schoen, PhD. He has researched the effects of stress on the body, and why we tend to get sick when we suddenly stop being so busy and stressed. Dr Schoen has found that the immune system doesn’t just go back to baseline, but below baseline. This leaves us open to infection, but also means if we had picked up a bug while we were stressed or busy, we might not have fought it off properly. Read more from Dr Schoen here.

What can we do about this?

If you’re reading this while you’re sick on holidays – sorry there’s not much to do except drink plenty of fluids and rest. If you’re not sick yet – there are a few options for preventing this happening again in the future.

Option 1 – reduce stress!

You probably hear us banging on about stress all the time. This is because it is really important! Stress has been linked to heart disease, migraines, musculoskeletal pain, panic attacks, psoriasis and many other things, not just being more susceptible to the common cold.

Managing your stress more effectively means that your body won’t go into such a strong ‘fight or flight’ response. Part of the way to effectively do this is by building time for active stress management when you know you will be busy or have a looming deadline. This might be a short walk, a 5 minute breathing exercise or listening to a podcast you enjoy rather than the news. We know that just 5-7 minutes of exercise are enough to counteract some of the effects of stress (although you will need more to reap the cardiovascular benefits).

Option 2 – relax slower!

It might seem counter-productive, but going from 100 to 0 quickly actually makes the Let Down Effect stronger. Relaxing slower after the busy or stressful time allows your body to come back to baseline slowly. This means your immune system doesn’t just call it a day as soon as you stop! For the next three days after the stressful or busy period is over, you need to include mental and physical stimulation for your body. Slowing winding down rather than coming to a complete halt can help prevent you getting sick on holidays.

Here are some ideas for physical stimulation:

• a short but brisk walk
• jogging up and down stairs
• playing tag/tip/tiggy with your kids

And for mental stimulation:

• do a crossword
• play scrabble
• do a jigsaw puzzle

Have you experienced the Let Down Effect?

If you would like some tips on planning in some stress management, or would like some help with breathing exercises, our osteopaths would love to be of assistance! Click here to book now.

We know that breathing exercises have been shown to be highly effective in reducing stress. Check out our other blog on the effects of stress here.