Flu or influenza is a viral disease that can be spread by airborne droplets and affects the respiratory system. Reported from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu symptoms including fever, headache, cough, runny nose, sore throat, and tiredness.
Many people experience flu symptoms in the night, but the next day, the symptoms disappeared. What causes this phenomenon?
Several factors may contribute to flu symptoms that appear at night and go away in the morning. One of the main factors is the body’s circadian or natural biological clock of our body.
The human body has a circadian rhythm that is governed by an internal biological clock, which regulates when we feel fresher and when we feel tired.
According to Dr. William Schaffner, an expert in infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, when someone catches the flu, the virus begins to spread through the body and triggers an inflammatory response. This inflammatory response can affect the body’s circadian rhythm.
The body is more susceptible to viral infections at night because our immune system tends to be weaker at that time.
Also, flu symptoms can be worse at night because our body temperature tends to drop while we sleep. This can make the mucus in our respiratory tract thicker and more difficult to clear, thereby exacerbating cold symptoms.
However, when we wake up in the morning, our body temperature begins to rise and our immune system becomes more active, allowing the body to fight viruses more effectively.
Plus, our bodies have time to recover while we sleep, which can help reduce symptoms of a cold in the morning.
There are several ways to reduce flu symptoms at night and speed up recovery in the morning, such as:
1. Get enough rest
Adequate sleep can help the body recover and strengthen the immune system.
2. Drink a lot of water
Drinking lots of water can help keep the airways moist and help thin mucus.
3. Avoid smoking
Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke can worsen cold symptoms and make the respiratory system more susceptible to infection.
That’s the reason why the flu often appears at night, complete with ways to reduce the symptoms. keep watch healthof.
