The breath of autumn: how to deal with the attack of viral infections
With the arrival of the rainy season and the shortening of daylight hours, people longingly recall the summer surge of strength. Well-being worsens as the off-season becomes a trigger for the exacerbation of chronic diseases. The body reacts to a decrease in physical activity, a lack of sun and a restructuring of biorhythms, turning the autumn blues from a beautiful metaphor into a very real state of body and spirit. What health problems should you pay attention to first and how to deal with the malaise — in the Izvestia article.
From acute respiratory viral infections to pneumonia
With the arrival of autumn, weather conditions change, a period of rains and unstable temperatures sets in, contributing to hypothermia of the body, as well as shortening the daylight hours. The season of acute respiratory viral infections, typical for this time of year, usually lasts from September to November, recalls Denis Prokofiev, a general practitioner with the status of "Moscow Doctor."
— This is facilitated not only by changing climatic conditions, but also by the return of people to common collectives after vacations and vacations. Bacterial and viral infections are exchanged, and people develop related diseases, ranging from acute respiratory viral infections to the development of bacterial pneumonia," the doctor comments.
Any infections enter the body through the nasopharynx or oropharynx, he points out. Therefore, it is important to create artificial barriers that will prevent this.
— As a preventive measure, use antiviral nasal ointments on the advice of a doctor. After visiting crowded places, treat the mucous membranes with antiseptics in a timely manner. Do not forget about antiviral therapy, which should be carried out no later than 72 hours after the first symptoms of the disease, Prokofiev reminds.
General practitioner, cardiologist, and emergency physician at the Be Healthy clinic on Frunzenskaya Elena Savchenkova-Belyatko confirms that viruses spread more actively in cool and humid weather, when people are more often indoors. Bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract can also become active against this background: sore throat, tonsillopharyngitis, acute otitis media, bacterial rhinosinusitis.
— Cold, humid air irritates the respiratory tract. People with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are more likely to experience shortness of breath, coughing, and attacks of suffocation during this period, the specialist notes.
Gastritis, psoriasis, allergies
In addition, chronic problems often make themselves felt in the fall: gastritis, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease.
— The reasons are a combination of factors: stress due to returning to work or study, a change in diet (less fresh vegetables and fruits, more fatty, spicy, flour-based foods), a possible decrease in immunity. Sometimes the load on the digestive system increases against the background of a viral infection or taking medications, such as painkillers, explains Elena Savchenkova-Belyatko.
Problems with the cardiovascular system are also inevitable, she said. Cold causes vasospasm, and changes in atmospheric pressure create additional stress.
— In people with hypertension, coronary artery disease, and heart failure, this can trigger pressure spikes, angina attacks, and a feeling of heaviness or pain in the chest, warns the therapist.
Also, lack of sunlight, dryness of the air due to the beginning of the heating season and high humidity can worsen the condition of chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, she adds.
It provokes autumn dampness and allergic reactions. At this time of the year, allergens such as mold fungi become active — they actively multiply in fallen leaves, damp corners, and basements. At the same time, it remains sensitive to other allergens, such as dust and animal hair.
— It is worth mentioning the "cold allergy" — in some people, contact with cold air causes local redness of the skin, rashes, blisters, — says the interlocutor of Izvestia.
Why it is important to adjust the daily routine
Elena Savchenkova-Belyatko emphasizes that reducing daylight hours affects the production of serotonin and melatonin, which can affect the emotional background. In addition, mental and emotional stress often increases in autumn due to a return to active activity, which can also affect well-being.
But sometimes this season should not be considered the main cause of ailments, says Anastasia Koroleva, a neurologist, deputy chief physician of the Scandinavian Health Center, head of the Center for Restorative Medicine. About a third of migraine patients consider a change in the weather to be one of the causes of severe headaches. But the interlocutor of Izvestia draws attention to the fact that the role of weather conditions in seasonal ailments is much more modest. Not all observations are directly related to changes in atmospheric pressure and health conditions. Therefore, the doctor first of all mentions a change in the regime and a reduction in daylight hours as the cause of the same headache.
— The vacation is over, the lifting time has shifted. People get up for work in the dark and go to bed later. The brain of a person with migraines is very sensitive to instability. Everything affects the malaise — lack of sleep, late lights out on the weekend, missed lunch, an extra cup of coffee for cheerfulness. Each of these factors individually may not trigger an attack. Together they lower the threshold, and the headache starts to hurt more often," the expert says.
The second point, according to her, is related to the return of static load. People are sitting at their desks and monitors again, and the muscles in their necks and upper arms are overextended. This causes a headache, which patients describe as a hoop or helmet pressing from all sides. In the evening, it intensifies. In the summer, such pain receded simply because people moved more, the neurologist explains.
— I'll warn you about painkillers separately. If a person takes them more than ten days a month, then a drug-induced headache develops (when the drug itself begins to support the pain). In the fall, doctors come to doctors with this problem regularly: since the head hurts more often, people take pills more often,— Koroleva points out.
If the attacks occur more than four times a month, the pain has changed in nature or wakes up at night, you should definitely consult a doctor, a specialist urges.
Virus attack
A decrease in physical activity also affects the health of those who suffer from neuralgia and neuritis. Viruses are to blame for this. The number of colds is increasing in the fall, and at the same time, the reactivation of herpes viruses that are dormant in the nerve nodes is more frequent, says Anastasia Koroleva.
— Hence shingles with intercostal pain and some cases of facial neuropathy. I consider hypothermia as a factor that kills an already weakened body. It is not the only reason," the neurologist emphasizes.
The doctor lists the conditions that require an immediate visit to the doctor.:
— if the face is distorted, the eye does not close, the eyebrow does not rise, you need to seek help in the first two days, it directly depends on how much facial expressions are restored;
— if there is a burning pain, like a streak running through the ribs, and a rash is found a day later, surgical treatment reduces the risk that the pain will remain for months.;
— back pain with weakness in the leg, numbness in the perineum or problems with urination is an urgent situation.
But the usual muscle pain, according to the doctor, requires movement — bed rest only delays recovery.
How to deal with depression
It's no coincidence that people are sadder in the fall. A lot depends on the fact that the daylight is decreasing. In summer, morning light hits the retina, synchronizing the internal clock that sets the production of melatonin in the evening and the rise of cortisol in the morning, explains Anastasia Koroleva.
— In autumn, a person gets up in the dark, spends the day under artificial lighting and returns home after dark. The "internal clock" is floating: I can't fall asleep in the evening, I can't wake up in the morning, I feel lethargic and foggy in my head during the day. Lack of sleep increases anxiety, irritability, and decreased concentration," she notes.
To neutralize these negative aspects, the neurologist advises finding time in the morning to be in natural light.
— 20-30 minutes outside in the morning provide more illumination than a whole day in the office, and in cloudy weather too. This is the easiest way to put the internal clock back in place," says the editorial interlocutor. — And half an hour of brisk walking a day solves several tasks at once: it supports the back muscles, improves sleep and reduces anxiety.
The neurologist recommends setting a constant wake-up time, including on weekends. The body focuses specifically on lifting, not on hanging up, the expert emphasizes. The three-hour difference between weekdays and Saturdays affects a person like a flight across several time zones.
— Sleep hygiene should also be followed. Dim the lights and screens an hour before a night's rest, avoid late coffee, and don't scroll through the news while lying in bed. For an anxious person, bedtime tape is more expensive than it seems, the doctor advises.
At the same time, Koroleva warns against the chaotic intake of vitamins and drugs that promote falling asleep. These supplements should be prescribed by a specialist, and independent regimens exacerbate problems.
The neurologist also points to a separate mental state — seasonal affective disorder. With this form of depression, with the autumn-winter onset, a person tends to sleep, his appetite increases, his craving for sweets increases, and his mood drops.
— A psychiatrist is involved in the diagnosis of depression. You should contact him if your low mood persists for more than two weeks, your interest in routine activities has disappeared, your appetite and weight have changed," the doctor reminds.
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