It's a scenario we all dread. After counting down the days until our vacation, our health suddenly deteriorates at the worst possible moment. Despite countless precautions before our big departure, we end up with a stubborn flu that forces us to revise our plans. Often, however, it's not just bad luck, but rather "paradise syndrome," a curious phenomenon that makes us feel like we're cursed.
Getting sick right at the start of the holidays, a ritual
From June onwards, we mark our calendars like convicts until their release from prison. We eagerly await the holidays and already imagine ourselves under the coconut trees, watching the waves crash against the rocks and the sun set over the sea.
After months of hard work, we look forward to swapping our office chair for a deckchair and our view of colleagues for a picture-perfect panorama. Except that, sometimes, fate isn't on our side. The day before leaving for vacation and taking off for new horizons, we have a runny nose, a scratchy throat, and a pounding headache.
Yet, we take extra precautions to avoid feeling unwell before our big departure: we avoid air conditioning, even if it means suffocating and sweating like in a sauna; we dodge attempts at kissing and meticulously disinfect our hands until they're practically dry. But we still end up with a relentless cold of unexplained origin. We then suspect a divine curse or just bad luck.
Many people have already had this unfortunate experience. The situation is so common that it's now possible to postpone your vacation to a later time so you don't have to spend it in bed and can fully enjoy it.
The “paradise syndrome”, the most likely explanation
The medical community has a more rational explanation than esoteric diagnoses. They speak of “paradise syndrome”. “In fact, the ‘leisure illness’ affects all people who have very intense jobs, with a lot of stress, mental workload and sustained pace,” explains Carla Valette, a general medicine resident, to 20 Minutes .
Instead of basking on the warm sand, we find ourselves in forced convalescence in our hotel beds. And our meticulously planned itinerary is completely thrown into disarray. Symptoms vary from person to person, as does their intensity. Sometimes it takes the form of a mild cold, and other times it's accompanied by migraines so severe that stepping outside is unthinkable. We then feel as though our immune system is failing us, and that's no coincidence. The doctor admits that at the dawn of vacation, which is nothing less than a relaxing break from a hectic daily life, our defenses are sometimes in freefall.
Surprisingly, the stress experienced at work actually keeps us in "survival" mode. It's therefore a good "fuel" for the immune system. Inevitably, when it decreases, the body has to readjust and needs time to adapt. This explains why it's less efficient during this period when we're all praying to be in good health.
According to specialists, the side effects of letting go
Even though vacations sometimes bring anxieties like the fear of getting a flat tire on the way home or forgetting something essential, they are generally synonymous with serenity. We think of nothing but enjoying the present moment. Our only obligations are booking dinner and planning sunset aperitifs. "On vacation, the body lets its guard down, relaxes, and we are more vulnerable to infections and viruses," explains the intern.
And no, it's not just "all in your head." We don't create these symptoms out of thin air. "It's not psychological at all, it's physiological," the expert emphasizes, before adding, "This also explains why these people are often rarely sick while they're working."
And when the “paradise syndrome” turns our hard-earned vacation into a nightmare, we have to be patient. There are no miracle cures, just a little inner adjustment. It's an opportunity to relearn how to listen to our bodies, often silenced by the professional frenzy.
