Could your stress levels be making you more susceptible to catching a virus this cold and flu season?

Get a group of professionals together around a meeting room table, coffee cup in hand, waiting for the last attendee to arrive (irritatingly late) and inevitably they will start to talk about how busy and stressed they are. Project deadlines, home life, kids school activities, pet vet visits, just stuff, is all coming at them thick and fast. Talking about it and sharing in each other’s stress stories seems to be somewhat cathartic, so given half a chance, the stress stories start to surface. You know. You've been there; possibly earlier on today. But could all that stress be setting you up to be an easy target for the next round of office viruses?

Short term stress, and its subsequent suppression of the immune system, is not dangerous however chronic stress can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can make us more vulnerable to diseases and infections. There is no doubt about it, we are living in a time where stress is a normal part of life that we have adapted to, and continue to adapt to, even though it’s making us sick, sad, tired, anxious and irritable.

While we tend to think of stress and its effects from a psychological perspective, we don't often realise that it’s having a physicological effect on our systems as well. Along with inhibiting digestion, interfering with sleep quality and affecting mental health, stress, particularly chronic stress, is also compromising our immune system's ability to respond swiftly and efficiently to invading pathogens.

Indirectly, chronic stress can lead some people to use unhealthy coping strategies to try and reduce their actual or perceived stress. Consuming alcohol, taking recreational drugs, smoking and eating junk food are common "self soothers" that can (and over time, will) compromise the immune system. For others, stress can lead to poor sleep and reduction in healthy activities like eating well, exercise and spending time with loved ones, all of which have been shown impede or improve our body's innate and adaptive immune system.

Directly, chronic stress puts a lot more pressure on our system's resources so we need to ensure we are getting the right amount of nutrients, either through our diet or in times of high need, via supplementation. Stress causes our body to use higher than usual amounts of vitamins B, C, and D and minerals like zinc and magnesium leaving us depleted, if not deficient and can make us a sitting duck when the inevitable viruses start doing their rounds in our workplace.

Let's have a closer look at vitamin C.

Vitamin C is stored in small quantities in the adrenal glands, yep that's right, the gland that is responsible for the manufacture of your stress hormones. It (vitamin C) has been shown to reduce the physical and physiological effects of chronic stress. If you are chronically stressed, then your body will require higher than the daily recommended levels. Vitamin C also acts as a potent antioxidant and cofactor that contributes to immune defence so we want to make sure that we have plenty available for when our body needs it, like right now as we enter into the cold and flu season.

Increasing foods rich in vitamin C can make a big difference in how supported your stress and immune response systems cope this cold and flu season. Most people know that vitamin C can be found in good quantities in fruit like kiwi fruit, citrus, papaya and berries but did you know that you can also get your vitamin C from vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, capsicums, sweet potato, kale and tomatoes?

If you're not eating at least 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit a day (and statistically we know that only 7% of Australians are), then its highly likely that you will require supplementation. Regular supplementation of vitamin C has been shown to reduce the severity and duration of a cold, downregulate histamine response in allergy sufferers and reduce the effects of chronic stress and anxiety. The dose is dependant on a number of factors including age, lifestyle habits and stress levels, however, a supplemental dose of between 1 - 2 grams taken in divided doses across the day (500 mg, 2 - 4 x a day) has been found to be effective.

When taking larger quantities of vitamin C be sure to take it in divided doses or else you may find it upsets your stomach and can have you running for the bathroom with loose stools!

Vitamin C hasn't been shown to prevent you from getting a cold or flu but it is depleted quickly when under chronic stress, including the stress that is experienced when fighting an infection. You may not be deficient enough to have scurvy but that doesn't mean you have enough to keep your body in tip-top condition.

Given I work with a fair number of professionals under stress in my clinic, I'd say that upping your intake on vitamin C foods and possibly taking a supplement would be beneficial. There are a number of supplements on the market and not all of them are created equal.

I look for trusted brands that have a mix of ascorbic acid, calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate and bioflavonoids like hesperidin and rutin as they are easier on the stomach and have the added benefits of extra antioxidants. If you are going to opt for an over the counter vitamin supplement then I suggest you buy them from your local chemist or health food shop where you can get sound advice on how to dose right for your situation and you can buy trusted brands that have been approved by the TGA. Do not buy your supplements from the international internet sites; we don't know if the quality of the product will stand up to our strict Australian (and NZ) standards or even if what you are buying is what it says on the label.

For quality assurance, I use practitioner only brands because I know that I can trust them. They also have supplement blends that include other immune and stress modulating ingredients like zinc, selenium, magnesium, quercetin and vitamins A and E.

The bottom line is that if you are chronically stressed then you are already putting a strain on your body's resources; the very resources that you will need to support your immune system this cold and flu season. You can increase your resilience by reducing your (perceived) stress levels and making sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs. If you can reduce the impact of "that bug that's been going around the office" you’ll be back around that meeting room table, coffee in hand, waiting for that chronically late colleague in no time at all.

Want to get ready for the flu season? Why not book a 30-minute immune-boosting appointment and see what else you can do to support your stressed-out mind and body this flu season.

If you're always sick and tired and want to break that never-ending cycle, then you might like to explore the Stress Less | Live More personalised health programs.

Mary-Leigh is an ex-burnt-out-corporate-career-junkie-turned-nutritional-medicine-practitioner that has dedicated the past 20 years of her professional career to the welfare and wellbeing of others. She creates fun and engaging workplace wellbeing solutions for organisations that want happier, healthier, more engaged employees, and sees individual clients both online and in her Brisbane clinic. You can contact here or check out her website here.