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Finally off, and then sick – even though you’re looking forward to taking a break. This phenomenon is known as “leisure sickness”. What is behind it? How to avoid it?
Cologne-Bonn Airport Terminal 1 is full. You finally want to go on vacation. However, what awaits some people here is not relaxation, but hospital beds. At noon, Ann-Katelyn Steinmann’s plane flew to Malaga. “A friend of mine had a nervous breakdown while on vacation and even had to go to the hospital,” said the mother from Troisdorf. “He was very stressed before the holiday and hoped that he could relax during the holiday.”
She was checking in with her family, walking slowly towards the counter. The Steinmans want to go to the beaches of the Costa del Sol for ten days. “I’m self-employed and have been under a lot of stress over the past few months, and I hope I can stay healthy and recover over the holidays,” said Ann-Katrin Steinmann.
1 in 5 are affected
As soon as the holidays started, the complaints followed. It is more common for people to get sick during holidays or weekends. According to a survey commissioned by the International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef-Bonn, one in five people in Germany suffers from “leisure sickness”: getting sick during free weekends or holidays. The scientists called for an online survey of about 2,000 people.
Symptoms include headaches, coughs, colds such as colds, and general fatigue. A spokesman for the German Society for Infectious Diseases said: “Recreational illness is primarily a stress phenomenon.” This affects the immune system and other physiological processes, but is mainly psychosomatic.
Some explain
There are several possible explanations for occupational illness. Many experts believe there is a link between stress and how your body responds to it. “It is based on the interplay of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the autonomic nervous system. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system,” says psychologist Andrea Jakob-Pannier. “Increased concentration, faster heart rate, more oxygen to the muscles. This is how the body prepares us to fight an aggressor or flee from him.”
When the danger is gone, the parasympathetic usually takes over again. After stress comes a relaxation phase. “However, under chronic stress, the body is constantly under the influence of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. A delayed switch from the parasympathetic nervous system can lead to serious symptoms such as a weakened immune system, headaches and fatigue,” says Jacob Panier.
Body signals are not perceived
Many people only realize how much work has taken them physically and mentally during the recovery phase. People with busy and demanding jobs are also more aware of their bodily sensations in their free time than during a normal workday.
The hustle and bustle of everyday life distracted her from her body. If people are busy with other things and their cognitive abilities are fully utilized at work, they won’t notice the body’s signals. They simply don’t notice the first signs of disease.
exercise, sleep, and adequate rest
In order to avoid getting sick during holidays, experts recommend a regular life, healthy diet, adequate exercise and sleep, and adequate rest during work periods. Jacob Panier says there is always a need to alternate between tension and relaxation. Disease symptoms are seen as the result of an imbalance in the body. The best thing to do is to not let the failure symptoms appear in the first place.
“When you’re in a chronically high stress state, you can usually feel it,” says Jakob Pannier. Typical symptoms are tiredness, irritability and an inability to switch off mentally. Then, it’s important to react in time and give the opportunity to relax – so that the holidays can truly provide relaxation.