Prevent vacation flu

Colds don’t just strike during the cold season. Apparently, it is also enough that you have submitted a vacation request… What sounds like a bad joke is unfortunately true: employees actually get sick more often during vacations than during working hours. Have you ever heard the term “leisure illness”?

Fair is different: You are fit and efficient until your last working day. But after just a few days of vacation, the cold strikes as unexpectedly as it does mercilessly. The exact cause of the “leisure disease” is not yet fully understood. But there are indications: Workaholics who can’t really switch off at the weekend are at the top of the list of colds during the vacation season. In fact, in their case, the unexpected regeneration period comes as all the more of a surprise. What then follows is known as the “stress-withdrawal reaction”: The body produces fewer stress hormones and the defense system, which until the start of the vacation was able to successfully keep viruses and the like at bay, shuts down.

More good tips to beat the “vacation flu”:

• Plan ahead and start your vacations as relaxed as possible. Make the transition as smooth as possible. It is best to start your trip two to three days after the vacation begins. This will still give you some time to adjust to doing nothing on vacation.
• Pack for cool surprises on the plane or coach. Take a light scarf or jacket with you to keep warm in case of emergency, if the air conditioning spreads freezing cold air. Ideally, the difference from the outside temperature should be about 6 degrees Celsius.