Holiday ills all too real

By KATHERINE HOBY

It's a familiar scenario - you work, work, work and then, when you finally take a holiday, you fall ill and spend the first week in bed.

No, it is not your imagination, it is becoming recognised as a real phenomenon and it has even been given a name - "leisure syndrome".

The heads of the Australian and the New Zealand medical associations agree that the syndrome, which often seems to strike its victims on holidays or weekends, is real.

It often takes the form of a headache, migraine, cold, flu, viral infection or simply intense tiredness during time off work.

Australian Medical Association president Kerryn Phelps spoke about leisure syndrome on the Nine Network's Today show, citing Dutch research.

She suggested very work-oriented people were at greater risk of leisure syndrome than more laid-back individuals.

New Zealand Medical Association chairman Dr John Adams said some people tended to keep up their defence mechanisms while they were at work.

"When they have a task to do people can keep their defences intact until the end and push away exhaustion," he said.

"And then when they stop and are supposed to relax, they are physically exhausted and lose the capacity to ward off sickness."

Some also get ill when they finally stop working because they have ignored warning signs to slow down or take a day off.

"Stress can have an impact on your immune response," Dr Adams said.

"So it makes sense to stop and deal with a cold, rather than get the full-blown flu on day one of your holiday."

Dr Adams said he had not heard the name "leisure syndrome" before, but had certainly heard anecdotal accounts from friends and patients describing it.

"I think we all know people who this has happened to, if not having experienced it [ourselves]."

Herald feature: Health