The state of tension of the body is the cause of the disease

Several months in a row working rush, French courses every Wednesday and Friday, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays – master classes on dry felting of wool. You are completely exhausted, but it has happened – here it is, a long-awaited vacation! Azure sea, warm sun, white beaches … which for the first few days you do not see at all, because you sleep in your room. Finally, you barely manage to pull yourself out to the pool and lay flat on a sun lounger. You feel lousy, and after another couple of days you get the flu. A noticeable improvement in well-being occurs when you find yourself on the plane’s ladder.

Do you think this is a bad dream? Nothing of the kind – the most common “vacation sickness”. In 2001, Dutch psychologists drew attention to the fact that many people fall ill during the first days of their vacation. Symptoms are usually colds or flu. Even just relaxing on the weekend, some people feel fatigue, muscle aches and headaches, even nausea. Most of the sick vacationers surveyed were exposed to stress at work, were prone to perfectionism and did not have the opportunity to regularly relax.

Hormones attack

So what’s the reason? Over the past six years, stress has replaced illness as the number one cause of employee absences from work. It is the specificity of modern stress that lies at the root of vacation sickness. Stress of the XNUMXst century and primal stress are polar things. In ancient times, the fight-or-flight response emerged as a response to a serious threat, be it wild beasts or famine. At the first sign of such stress, the body releases an adrenaline rush to generate the energy it needs to react. Modern stressors are less significant, but they constantly come in small doses – these are tasks, deadlines and worries. And their flow is continuous.

The human body is designed to cope successfully with a short and intense shock, followed by an emotional respite. But in the modern world, we use the “fight or flight” mechanism to cope with everyday, everyday situations, therefore our body is constantly in a crisis state of tension.

If you stand at a red traffic light, getting more and more nervous, your glands release adrenaline – just to be on the safe side – because for them there is no difference between traffic stress and, say, a wild beast. An excess of adrenaline maintains a constant state of tension in us, due to which, after a while, the body’s recovery systems become less effective. What affects mood, appetite, sleep and, most importantly, immunity.

With prolonged and continuous stress, our adrenal glands produce more and more of another hormone – cortisol, which controls the body’s internal clock. An ideal daily regimen of cortisol supplies high levels of the hormone in the morning to help us wake up and low in the evening to help us fall asleep. A good, restful sleep allows the immune system to work at night, destroy bacteria and viruses picked up over the past day, and build new antibodies for the day ahead. Too much cortisol makes sleep interrupted and, from the body’s point of view, useless, which in turn weakens the immune system.

Constant stimulation of the adrenal glands, a nervous and agitated state that has become a daily norm, sooner or later lead to a sad ending.

Eat and sleep!

Vacation, as a rule, is the only chance for our body to recover and cleanse itself of temporarily inactive viruses that have accumulated in it, since there was no way to get rid of them. And illness is part of the process of restoring balance in the body, forcing us to lie in bed and get better.

You can solve the problem by starting a little rest before the vacation (although, of course, this is easier said than done). If possible, try to get enough sleep and set aside at least 5 minutes a day to do nothing (don’t even watch TV). This helps to convince the body that relaxation is safe, which in turn supports the immune system. Anything that brings you out of the state of “constant tension” is beneficial – reading, walking the dog, digging the beds, yoga, breathing meditations, long baths.

Instead of cheering up with a cup of espresso (which also adds adrenaline to your bloodstream), do the following. When you wake up in the morning – or in the evening before going to bed – lie on your back, lift your legs up, resting them against the wall, and breathe through your nose, deflating and inflating your stomach, for five minutes. This helps to improve blood circulation in the adrenal glands.

Doctors suggest the following stress management technique. Stick bright stickers on key objects in your everyday life – your favorite mug, computer, refrigerator. Every time your gaze falls on one of these stickers, take a deep breath. As you exhale, relax your jaws, shoulders, chest, abdomen and whole body, down to the tips of your toes. The more often you do this, the sooner you will achieve automaticity.

You can also reduce the risk of “vacation sickness” by increasing immune tolerance. Problems with adapting to a new environment, reactions to a change in diet on vacation can be a sign of low immune tolerance, which – again – is exacerbated by stress. But what many do not know is that good immune tolerance more than anything else depends on the condition of the gut, which in turn is influenced by the level of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the body. Therefore, it is worth taking medications containing probiotics before and on time to prepare your immune system for changes and significantly reduce the risk of food poisoning. Plus, support your gut flora with fermentation products found in miso soup, live yogurt, and sauerkraut.

Another savior is flavonoids, a group of bioactive compounds that have protective functions and are needed in large quantities when we are stressed or depressed. The human body cannot produce them, but they are found in many foods – green tea, red wine, broccoli, garlic, ginger, turmeric, citrus fruits, onions, apples, green leafy vegetables and berries. Include them in your diet at least two weeks before departure.

So, by rationalizing the daily regimen and nutrition, doing easy exercises, you can significantly reduce the risk of not the most terrible, but certainly the most offensive – “vacation sickness”.

Are you predisposed to “vacation sickness”?

Start relaxing now – otherwise you will feel unwell when you unpack your suitcase. The more of the following statements you can relate to yourself, the greater the risk:

• When I wake up, I feel overwhelmed, and only caffeine or sweets bring me to my senses.
• I drink more than two cups of coffee a day.
• When stressed or tired, I start to lean on chips, cakes, cookies and chocolate.
• I don’t have breaks at work. I dine at my desk and sometimes forget to dine altogether.
• I usually work over 50 hours a week.
• I do not spend a lot of time on myself – the main thing is that the people around me feel good.
• I rarely have to go to bed as early as I would like.
• I find it difficult to disconnect from work or home problems.
• I lead an active life, it is difficult for me to relax and do nothing.
• I feel guilty when I relax or go on vacation.