A health expert has revealed the reason why we all fall sick the minute we go on holiday.
Well, as many are jetting off to Europe by now, I’m sure some of you have noticed the minute you take some time off, you’re reaching for the tissues and Nurofen.
Whether it’s the chills or a runny nose, it seems the second we clock off, our body has come to punish us for taking a well-deserved break.
However, one health expert noted that the ‘let-down effect’ is much more common than we think and how to avoid it so nothing comes in between our hot girl summer.
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Dr Suhail Hussain, a personal physician and private home-visiting GP, told the Daily Record: "When the body is used to functioning on high levels of [stress hormones] cortisol and adrenaline and they suddenly decrease, our immune system is exposed and then we’re prone to minor infections and excessive tiredness.
"Pain and muscle aches also increase – adrenaline increases muscle tension, so imagine a rubber band always pulled tight, what happens when you let go?”
The let-go effect will likely hit us after an intense work week.
That moment when you're suddenly packing your stellar bikinis for Lake Como, yep, that’s when this baby creeps up.
But Dr Hussain said you could avoid this from happening by de-stressing slowly.
Perhaps before setting foot on the plane, pencil in some time for a Netflix binge.
Oooh, and a hot yoga sesh too.
"You can try to lessen the impact of the ‘let-down effect’ by de-stressing slowly. Instead of crashing and burning, try to maintain a bit of activity on the holiday or some degree of exercise, such that there’s not a massive decrease in stress hormone levels, meaning you can allow the body to acclimatise slowly,” she said.
However, if your body is shutting down soon after you go on vacation, she advised looking for signs of chronic stress too.
"Constantly running on high levels of stress is very bad for you. It leads to the problems mentioned above but also longer-term consequences, such as plaque formation in arteries, leading to coronary events and strokes, depression and anxiety, and even addiction," she shared.
But if you have any worries, book a time with your GP to discuss these concerns about ways to manage daily stress efficiently.
Topics: News, Travel, Health, Mental Health
Charisa Bossinakis