Why We Get Sick at the Worst Possible Time

Let me set the stage. The NBA is a physical and psychological grind beginning with preseason training as early as July or August. A season starts in September with championship games typically in June. The winning team often wins by attrition as the winner somehow outlasts the opposing team with just enough energy left to hoist the trophy.

In real life, the 1997 Chicago Bulls were locked in a death struggle with the Utah Jazz. Two evenly matched gladiators were going toe-to-toe to see who advances to the finals. Michael Jordan at the time, and arguably today, is the greatest player ever to have dribbled the basketball.

During the playoff series, one night Jordan was hungry and ordered a pizza that was delivered. He later mentioned that he did not feel quite right about the situation. Nevertheless, he ate the pizza. Several hours later he was incapacitated by intractable nausea and vomiting. He was undoubtedly dehydrated. The game was on the line the next day, and superstar Michael Jordan was barely able to stand.

The team medical staff recognizing the urgency of the situation provided appropriate medical care, but Jordan never really bounced back. The next morning he did not show at the usual practice, and he never missed a morning practice.

He certainly had food poisoning and maybe the flu, but we will never know for certain. But what we do know is that Michael Jordan could not escape the stress of travel, the stress of The Big Game, and the stress of being the number-one player in the world. All combined to compromise his immune system.

His indomitable mindset of a champion was a factor in his winning the game for the Chicago Bulls and then on to the championship.

But You’re Not Michael Jordan

You may not be Michael Jordan, but you get stressed. You can overload your immune system with pressure at work, family issues, caregiving duties, your daily commute, fears, and phobias.

And when you’re overly stressed, you, too, can get “the flu” and be out of the game at the worst time, at a bad time, at a time when it is critical you need to be on your game. Maybe for a presentation at work, a family gathering, a final exam in college, a wedding, travel—you get the idea.

These are times we simply cannot afford to get ill. But we do.

Science tells us these illnesses are real. Lab testing shows an overwhelming inflammatory stress response that causes depression, draining fatigue, fragmented sleep, and less robust social interactions as a result.

So what can we learn?

Multiple medical studies in respected medical journals clearly document that there is a significant relationship between psychological stress and the risk of developing an upper respiratory infection—a cold and flu. There is also a “dose response relationship,” meaning that the higher the stress level, the higher the increased infection rate.

Such causes and effects have been seen in traveling theatrical performers and among athletes. And probably you.

What about us mere mortals when a critical job interview is on the line? When defending a dissertation? Where there is a high-stakes engagement?

Experts suggest you try these techniques to stay healthy when it counts:

• Make social connections. One study documented that hugging enhanced immune reactivity and decreased the risk of infections. On the other hand, an unstable social environment certainly increases the risk of an upper respiratory infection.

• Individuals involved with stressful interpersonal relationships are well advised to recognize how these high-stress situations can impact becoming ill.

• Restorative sleep, prudent physical activity, aggressive handwashing, and hydration each have a role.

• But equally important, we need to recognize the risk of stress causing an infection, and there some circumstances where there is no second chance. We simply have to suit up and show up and get it done—sick or not.

The bottom line is this: Recognize the risks of stress and be proactive in pre-emptive ways so you can bring your best game to the finals.

Who among us isn't stressed and at danger of coming down with something? Photo from Wix Media.