Can stress be related to sickness?

[Budlite74]

Im taking summer school and have lots of stress with minimal sleep .. think my body crashed and im gettin sick .... is it cuz of stress? is my immune system naturally low cuz this happens often during finals and shit? is it all mental? what to do to help get better?

[Naughty Nurse]

A lot of stress can definitely lower your immune system and lend to you becoming ill. Right after my son was born...well, let's just say it was the worst time of my life...I had a cold/flu for like 3-4 months!!!

Taking time out for yourself, away from it all, is very important. A great support system, and ppl close to you that you can talk to are important.

I wound up having to take anti-depressants because it got so bad....but I quit them when I saw how much and how quickly the weight was coming on :D....but there are some where that doesn't happen. I am a fan of taking as little medication as possible, so I wouldn't go that route unless necessary, which sometimes it is. Sometimes learning to change your mindset is a lifesaver....I had to learn to accept that my house wasn't going to look tip-top anymore, and that I had to let things slide b/c my son and homework was more important....and that some things just aren't going to change no matter how much I stress about it.....things have slowly gotten better....it's hard changing your behaviour/mind-set....but it does help.

Most importantly, as said, take some time for yourself and do things that you truly enjoy doing.

[JOEYZ]

Originally Posted by Budlite74

Im taking summer school and have lots of stress with minimal sleep .. think my body crashed and im gettin sick .... is it cuz of stress? is my immune system naturally low cuz this happens often during finals and shit? is it all mental? what to do to help get better?

Like NN just said, stress can definately make you sick and lower you immune system if you arent sleeping and eating right. Stress can actually effect your heart, blood pressure, ect.. If you arent sleeping well at night I would suggest trying to get a script of ambien............say 5mg. The reason I say this is becasue I take it and a lot docs that I work with take it. Ambien helps you fall asleep quick and it wears off quick so you dont really wake up feeling tired like you do with sleeping pills. It also helps you relax somewhat like valium does. When I was taking by boards for Respiratory Therapy about 5 years ago, I was told that I had one day to take it by my boss becasue some paperwork had got messed up and she hadnt realized that My probationary period had passed. I had to study for this test and take it all in one night, so subsequently I got sick as hell because I was so stressed out. Another thing that you can do is simple........take vitamins. When your stressed out, your body depletes its self of certain vitamins.

[Naughty Nurse]

I always wondered about Ambien...so you don't feel groggy....cause I hate sleeping pills or Gravol. You need at least 8 hours of sleep though right?

[JOEYZ]

Originally Posted by Naughty Nurse

I always wondered about Ambien...so you don't feel groggy....cause I hate sleeping pills or Gravol. You need at least 8 hours of sleep though right?

I had a doc tell me that I should try it becasue almost all of the docs in the hospital are using it and love it.........this was about a year ago. Anyways, they say that you should have 8 hours of time to be able to sleep if you need it, but thats why I like it...........you can take it at midnight and get up at 5 am and feel great. The first few times you take it, it will make you feel kinda drunk, but after that you get used to it. You can take it on an empty stomach (which is how you are supposed to use it) and it will kick in within 5-10 minutes. I dont feel groggy when I wake up either. If you take a larger dose (10 mg) then you might feel a little groggy, but 5 mg should do it for you.

[Naughty Nurse]

Cool....think I'll look into it too...back to work in a couple weeks, and need to feel refreshed.