01/05/2026
Interesting read. Stop in and learn about Salt and Amethyst BioMat wellness. We can add hydration and immunity boost to any of our drinks.
Every year, the same pattern. You make it through the hectic holiday season, then immediately get sick in early January. You blame it on germs from traveling or "just being run down." But there's actual science behind why this happens so predictably.
The holidays are inherently stressful, travel, family dynamics, financial pressure, schedule disruption. Stress elevates cortisol, which suppresses immune function. That's manageable on its own. But when you add alcohol to already-elevated stress hormones, the immunosuppression becomes severe.
Research in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found that the combination of psychological stress and alcohol creates a synergistic immunosuppressive effect far greater than either factor alone. Your immune system function can drop by up to 60% when you're drinking while stressed. This leaves you extremely vulnerable to whatever viruses and bacteria you're exposed to during holiday gatherings.
This is why you can attend the same holiday party as someone else, be exposed to the same germs, but you're the one who gets sick. Your immune defenses were chemically compromised while theirs weren't. It's not about who has a "stronger immune system", it's about whose immune system was suppressed by the stress-alcohol combination.
The sickness typically hits a few days after the holidays end, once you stop drinking and stress drops. Your immune system tries to recover but you're already infected from exposures during your vulnerable period. You spend the first week of January sick, assuming it's just bad timing.
If you're navigating stressful holiday situations, removing alcohol from the equation is one of the most protective things you can do for your immune health. You can't control family stress, but you can control whether you're chemically disabling your defenses while dealing with it.
Your immune system is trying to protect you through a stressful season. Don't handicap it further.
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