13.06.2023 Kerstin Altrock 21165

Sick as soon as vacation arrives - the post-stress syndrome

The summer vacations are just around the corner and then this: migraines, infections, stomach problems. As soon as you've packed your suitcase, you're already lying flat and your vacation is over before it's even begun. Post-stress syndrome strikes stressed people whenever they switch into recovery mode.

While others are well rested and tanned and talking about their vacation adventures, have you spent most of your time in bed? "Why does this always happen to me?" you ask yourself. In fact, it's usually the same people who regularly fall ill when their vacation is just around the corner.

This was discovered by a group of researchers from the University of Trier (2015). They surveyed around 1,500 healthy test subjects and patients with acute physical or mental illnesses. The result: healthy people with little stress only very rarely suffer from post-stress symptoms (2.3 percent). Among the mentally ill test subjects, the symptoms occurred in 20 to 35 percent.

Stressed people fall ill four times as often

The most common complaints include infections, stomach problems, migraines and visual disturbances. The researchers were able to observe a direct correlation between the stress levels of the people studied and the symptoms of exhaustion and illness.

The test subjects who most urgently needed a vacation and rest were most likely to suffer from post-stress symptoms. The risk of becoming ill on vacation is four times higher for people with a lot of stress than for non-stressed people.

Why are you always sick when you go on vacation?

The scientists also investigated why these symptoms break out during the recovery phases. Professor Dirk Hellhammer from the University of Trier explains: "Stress mobilizes the neurotransmitter noradrenaline in our central and autonomic nervous system particularly strongly. If the demands are particularly intense and long-lasting, the consumption of noradrenaline exceeds the synthesis of new noradrenaline. During periods of rest, too little noradrenaline is then released, leading to a disturbance in the balance of functions in the nervous and immune systems, which causes post-stress symptoms."

Ways out of post-stress syndrome

One of the things that can help here is well thought-out stress and break management.

Relaxation exercises can help, as can avoiding stress factors and good time management. However, the best stress killer is still exercise. However, it is too late to start relaxing on vacation. It is best to incorporate small units of exercise into your daily routine weeks in advance, for example by walking around the block during your lunch break. Exercising for 30 minutes three times a week should noticeably reduce our stress levels.

Test: Am I affected by post-stress syndrome?

If you want to know exactly whether you are suffering from post-stress symptoms, you can find out with a diagnostic procedure ("neuropattern") by the Trier scientists. If such symptoms and complaints are detectable, a combination of medication and dietary supplements with stress and break management can be helpful.