How the Holidays Can Make You Sick

Don't wind up at the doctor's office because of parties, travel, and gift shopping.

‘Tis the season to be sick? The stress that comes with the most wonderful time of the year—including long nights, booze, travel, and convos with in-laws—can be so overwhelming, it can actually make you ill.

Over time, tension causes wear and tear on your body and your brain, increasing your risk for cardiovascular disease, certain kinds of cancer, and possibly even Alzheimer’s, says Ted Robles, Ph.D, associate professor of psychology at UCLA.

Even more: Stress itself creates the inflammation—which can lead to illness and disease. And being worried while under the weather means the symptoms will hit you even harder.

Keep up the Christmas cheer by lessening holiday hassles with these tips:

Suggest a Secret Santa.

Shopping for 20 people can stink for you and sink your bank account. Consider drawing names for the adults out of a hat so each person is only responsible for one family member, suggests Jay Winner, M.D., founder and director of the Stress Management Program for Sansum Clinic in California. Putting your energy toward one good gift will lessen the burden—and make you and the recipient feel better about the gift.

Work up a sweat early.

Moderate exercise not only lowered initial levels of anxiety, but also helped people cope with it later in the day, according to a 2012 University of Maryland study. “When you exercise, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, just like when you’re dealing with stress,” says Robles. This becomes a learned response, too, so when your blood pressure goes up at the holiday party, you’re able to come back down to baseline faster than someone who doesn’t exercise regularly, he explains.

Pop a multi-vitamin.

Stocking up on vitamins can not only boost your immune system, but even out your emotions as well. Studies show that vitamin B complex helps lower levels of angst and depression, vitamin C and E lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and vitamin D helps bolster your immune system. Want to know which vitamin is best? Check out the best multivitamins for men.

Plan a post-New Year’s date.

 Sign up for a class together after the holidays—exercising together can boost happiness in a relationship, reports a 2012 University of Michigan study. Why it’ll work: Sometimes stressful events cause couples to neglect one another because you tend to focus on, well, the stressor. But connecting post-holiday can help you recover stronger, says Benjamin Karney, Ph.D, professor of psychology at UCLA.