I was on holiday in Scotland last week. I definitely drank too much ,ate a lot of crap fast food and definitely didn’t sleep enough. Fast forward to this week and I’m back at work with a raw throat , runny nose and YAY a cold sore just popped up this morning. I think I can safely call myself “run down” but what is actually happening here ?
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In the specific case you mentioned, stress on the body can cause the immune system to temporarily weaken. Stress isn’t just psychological stress, but many things that cause more strain on the systems of the body causing it to expend more energy on maintenance or general “fight-or-flight” systems. It makes sense in an evolutionary context: getting the flu is a bit less critical than not being mauled by a wolf in the next 2 minutes, so divert resources to help get away from that wolf. The steroids your doctor might give you are the same or similar to those that elevate in times of stress, and one of their functions is to suppress the immune system somewhat.
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