Why high-performers get sick as soon as they go on vacation and how to prevent it

The out-of-office message is on and the laptop is shut.The long-awaited vacation has finally begun.Then comes the sore throat, the stuffy nose and the pounding headache.

The cruel irony? After weeks of pushing through deadlines and nonstop responsibilities, some high achievers find that the moment they finally slow down is when they start feeling sick.That’s according to a viral TikTok from somatic instructor Liz Tenuto, who claims that “high-achieving women getting a cold on day 2 of every single vacation.”According to Tenuto, years of running on chronic stress keep cortisol levels elevated, allowing women to push through exhaustion — until they finally relax, when their bodies seemingly “crash.”The video struck a nerve.“Literally happened to me every vacation since I was a child,” one user wrote.“As a teacher, this happens EVERY extended break we have,” another commented.“I get so sick on the first/second day that I spend the whole week just recovering.”“It is me.

I am this woman.Happens on almost every single vacation!” another wrote.Tenuto attributed the pattern to what’s often called the let-down effect — the idea that some people become ill shortly after a stressful period ends.While the TikTok isn’t medical gospel, experts say it is pointing toward a real and biologically plausible phenomenon.“The body does not always switch from high-output survival mode into rest mode smoothly,” Dr.

Henry Legere, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Restore Hyper Wellness told The Post.“For some people — especially high-responsibility, high-performing individuals — the first few days of vacation are when the bill for chronic stress finally comes due.”That doesn’t necessarily mean relaxation itself causes illness.Rather, Legere said prolonged stress can keep the body in a heightened fight-or-flight state, fueled by hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

During that time, sleep often suffers, the immune system shifts and many people...