If y’all are anything like me, this time of year is associated with tasty food and Christmas music blasting (starting on November 27th, of course). However, this season of joy also comes with something not so joyful for college students… finals. These exams come with high levels of stress and anxiety as students try to finish out the semester strong. While short term stress can be beneficial for the immune system, the chronic stress that some students experience is associated with many harmful health effects (Salleh, 2008).
We’ve been long warned of the negative effects of chronic stress as it suppresses the immune system and makes people more susceptible to illness (Salleh, 2008). This occurs because stress increases catecholamine and suppressor T cells levels, in turn lowering the effectiveness of people’s immune systems (Salleh, 2008). Furthermore, chronic stress can lead to an increased risk of atherosclerosis (Salleh, 2008). I don't know about you guys, but after feeling the plaque in our cadaver’s arteries, that is not something I want to risk.
So, how can we reduce our stress levels during these tough times and try to stay healthy? While I fully support going on a run to burn off steam after a long day of studying, there’s one coping mechanisms that tends to get overlooked. What might that be? Hugging!
In a pandemic, I understand that this can be a tough one and please be safe about it! Whether this looks like a hug from your roommates or a parent, snuggle up with your quaranteam (household members only) when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
One study was conducted on over 400 adults looking at the impact of social interaction on stress-induced sensitivity to an illness (Cohen et al., 2014). For two weeks, the participants reported how many hugs they received on a daily basis as a measure of how much support they felt they had (Cohen et al., 2014). Then, the subjects were exposed to the common cold (Cohen et al., 2014). Subjects that received more hugs reported less severe illness symptoms (Cohen et al., 2014). This means that stress levels, and in turn, susceptibility to illness was reduced with increased social support through hugging.
As finals are approaching and stress levels are increasing, don’t forget to take some time to hug your quaranteam. It might be the perfect thing to keep the cold away!
Cohen, S., Janicki-Deverts, D., Turner, R. B., & Doyle, W. J. (2014). Does Hugging Provide Stress-Buffering Social Support? A Study of Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection and Illness. Psychological Science, 26(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614559284
Salleh M. R. (2008). Life event, stress and illness. The Malaysian journal of medical
sciences : MJMS, 15(4), 9–18.
It is incredible that something as simple as a hug could protect us from the common cold. I wonder if this may be linked to oxytocin levels being increased after a hug. Here is an article that I found that says this may very likely be linked to oxytocin levels. Either way, everyone should hug someone to improve their health!
ReplyDelete“Can You Kiss and Hug Your Way to Better Health? Research Says Yes. – Penn Medicine.” – Penn Medicine, www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2018/february/affection.