(Post) Camp Fever

Why we and our kids get sick when we can finally relax.

My kids got home from overnight camp on Friday afternoon. They were tired but in great spirits, clearly ready for a weekend of R&R.

My son was the first to go down. On Saturday afternoon, he said he felt awful and skipped dinner. Then his temperature started climbing. He was sick for the next four days.

On Sunday afternoon, my daughter joined the party. Fever, chills, fatigue, lack of appetite. As I type this, she’s still not fully recovered.

It’s a common complaint: As soon as you’re finally able to relax, whether after a stressful few weeks of work, a fun but tiring trip, or a few weeks at overnight camp, illness takes over. The worst is when you finally go on vacation and you are so excited to do nothing but read mysteries on the beach and then find yourself shivering under the bed covers instead.

It’s so unfair.

Why does this happen? It’s a complicated question, because the relationship between stress and the immune system is also quite complicated. Having covered immunity for many years as a science journalist, I’ll give you my streamlined science-based take.