10 REASONS YOU ALWAYS GET... ILL ON HOLIDAY

1 YOU’RE A VICTIM OF LEISURE SICKNESS

If you’ve spent the Easter break feeling as if you’ve been hit by a bus, you may be a victim of leisure sickness. In 2002, psychologists in Holland published a study of 1,900 people which showed that one in 30 suffers headaches, fatigue, nausea and flu-like symptoms when going on holiday. The theory is that people with high-pressure jobs produce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, and when the body relaxes, these levels drop and make them more susceptible to illness.

2 IT’S THAT CRASH DIET

Getting ‘beach body ready’ by crash-dieting in the weeks leading up to your time off could impair your immune system. A 2004 study at the University of Washington in Seattle found that women who had undergone two to five crash diets, losing 10 lb or more each time, had weaker immune cells.

3 TRAVELLING CAN TRIGGER MIGRAINES

Changes in air-cabin pressure on jets and motion sickness from trains or cars can lead to migraines. Other known triggers include alterations in sleep patterns, diet, time zone changes, and dehydration.

4 YOU CAUGHT A BUG ON THE PLANE

Colds are at least 100 times more likely to be transmitted on a plane than in normal daily life, according to the Journal Of Environmental Health Research – and one of the biggest reasons is the air-conditioning system that extracts moisture from the cabin. It can also dry the lining of the nose, which is coated with a layer of mucus to protect against infection.

5 BLAME THE STREET FOOD

A survey carried out in 2015 found that a quarter of Britons had suffered from food poisoning while on holiday, with high-risk items including street food, poorly cooked meat, tap water and buffet items left out for long periods in warmer countries.

6 YOU CAN BE TOO RELAXED

Taking it easy when you’re knocked out from jet-lag can be the worst thing to do. A Canadian study on hamsters made to adjust to an eight-hour time difference found that animals that exercised recovered in just over a day, while those that slept took more than eight days. The longer time spent with a disrupted circadian rhythm, the higher the risk to your health.

7 YOU OVERDID IT AT THE ALL-INCLUSIVE BAR…

A 2016 survey found that the average Briton consumes 56 alcoholic drinks during a two-week holiday. Given that a pint contains at least two units, this far exceeds the NHS recommended maximum of 14 units a week. Over-indulgence can trigger arrhythmia, where the heart beats too fast or too slow. The condition is also known as holiday heart syndrome.

8 … AND THE BREAKFAST BUFFET

Researchers claim that we eat more than double our recommended amount of calories on the first day of a holiday, and it not only causes you to feel uncomfortable and nauseous, it can also lead to rapid weight gain.

A study in 2010 found that those who increased their daily calorie intake by 70 per cent for four weeks gained 14 lb, and six months later only half had lost it, despite eating normally again.

9 YOU FRIED YOUR FACE

After a typical British autumn and winter, it may seem tempting for those of a whiter shade of pale to wear a bit of make-up to look fabulous on holiday. But when UV radiation reacts with emulsifiers found in cosmetic products, such as make-up, and many sun creams, it can cause acne aestivalis, also known as Mallorca acne. It most commonly affects women aged 25 to 40, with small red lesions being found on the cheeks, neck, chest and upper arms within hours of exposure to the sun.

10 THE POOL GAVE YOU LEGIONNAIRE’S

Legionnaire’s disease, a serious lung infection, has an incubation period of up to ten days, so you may not show symptoms until you get home. It’s caused by bacteria in ‘wet’ air, often found in poorly maintained air-conditioning systems or indoor swimming pools and spas. People aged over 50, as well as smokers, are at higher risk.