Freshers’ Flu: Where Does It Come From?
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Unless you barricade yourself in your room for the full week, freshers’ flu is unavoidable. If you haven’t caught it yet, don’t feel smug- it’s on its way. One mystery that freshers have to try and solve every year is where their illness came from. Is it from mixing in with new people, all with their own germs and immune systems? Is it all in your head as you adjust to your new life? The answer is that freshers’ flu is caused by both physical, dietary and psychological factors and these different factors affect us all in different ways. Here are some of the things that might have caused you to become yet another victim of this irritating condition:
1- Alcohol. (You knew alcohol was going to come up somewhere, didn’t you?) Alcohol is a depressant and therefore depresses your immune system and your ability to fight off illnesses and infections. You’d be lucky to have a full week of drinking every night and not feel a bit rough at the end of it.
2- Lack of sleep. Most unis offer all sorts of freshers’ week events every day and so you may find yourself out till 4 am every night. A regular sleeping pattern is so important for your health that as soon as you break the pattern, you will start to feel the physical effects almost immediately.
3- Poor diet. Since you’re probably living completely independently for the first time, you’ve probably realised a few things: how expensive food is, how much time and effort it takes to make a nutritious meal and how tempting it is to make the most of all the freshers’ week takeaway discounts.
4- Nights out in the cold. If you’ve moved into a new town/city, you’ll be keen to explore the area and see how good the nightlife is. This often means staying up till the chilly early hours of the morning and if you’re in uni up north, you’ve probably also realised that no one wears a coat on a night out unless it’s -30 degrees and 4 foot of snow has fallen.
5- Homesickness. Psychological factors play a huge role in how you’re feeling. If you’re having a hard time adjusting or if you feel stressed, your health will suffer. Homesickness can have a huge effect on your mental health too. Try contacting your university’s well-being services or visiting your GP if you’re concerned about any stress/mental health issues. Most unis have services dedicated to freshers who are having a hard time getting used to being away from home so you shouldn’t have to look far.
For most of us, freshers’ flu is a temporary ‘illness’ that isn’t as serious as it is inconvenient. Like a hangover, it’s just a slightly longer way of paying the price for having a great time.