Falling Sick After CNY? Learn About Post-Holiday Syndrome Symptoms and Quick Health Tips
Falling Sick After CNY? Learn About Post-Holiday Syndrome Symptoms and Quick Health Tips
Type of Post-Holiday Syndrome
The "post-holiday syndrome" during the New Year period can be roughly divided into three categories, with different symptoms appearing before, during, and after the New Year, including:
- Before the New Year: Many people engage in activities such as spring cleaning or shopping for New Year's goods. These activities often involve prolonged bending, lifting heavy objects, etc., which can easily cause neck or lower back pain.
- During the New Year: Most people face problems with their digestive system (spleen and stomach) and mental well-being. This is caused by staying up late, irregular routines or excessive rest, and uncontrolled overeating.
- After the New Year: Many symptoms such as difficulty concentrating at work and frequent fatigue appear, which are considered typical manifestations of post-holiday syndrome.
Post-Holiday Syndrome Symptoms
Excessive Internal Heat: During the New Year, people tend to consume more fried, spicy, and stir-fried foods, which are high in calories. Combined with irregular sleep patterns, this can easily lead to an excess of Yang Qi in the body, triggering a series of "heat" symptoms. Specific manifestations include:
- Dry mouth and throat, sore throat: Feeling parched and experiencing discomfort or pain in the throat.
- Mouth sores, oral ulcers: Development of painful sores inside the mouth.
- Constipation, difficulty passing stool: Infrequent bowel movements and difficulty or straining during defecation.
- Facial acne, acne breakouts: Increase in pimples and blemishes on the face.
- Bad breath, heavy breath: Unpleasant odour emanating from the mouth.
- Dark yellow urine, deep-coloured urine: Urine that is darker than usual, indicating possible dehydration or concentrated waste products.
Indigestion: During the holidays, frequent gatherings with family and friends can lead to overindulgence and excessive consumption, placing extra strain on the stomach and intestines, resulting in digestive dysfunction and the following discomforts:
- Abdominal distension, feeling of fullness in the abdomen: Feeling bloated and uncomfortable in the stomach area.
- Abdominal pain, stomach or abdominal pain: Pain or discomfort in the stomach or abdomen.
- Belching, burping, upward movement of stomach gas: Frequent burping or expulsion of gas from the stomach.
- Nausea, feeling sick to the stomach, wanting to vomit: Feeling queasy and having the urge to vomit.
- Loss of appetite, not wanting to eat: Reduced desire to eat.
- Loose stools, loose and unformed stools: Having watery or loose bowel movements.
- Acid reflux, heartburn: A burning sensation in the chest caused by stomach acid flowing back up into the oesophagus.
Poor Rest Due to Staying Up Late: During the holidays, various entertainment activities increase, such as gatherings, karaoke, and playing games. Many people develop the habit of staying up late, disrupting their normal biological clock, leading to sleep deprivation and subsequently causing the following problems:
- Lethargy, feeling weak and powerless: Feeling tired, sluggish, and lacking energy.
- Difficulty concentrating, decreased memory: Trouble focusing and remembering things.
- Mood swings, irritability, easily angered: Experiencing rapid mood changes, becoming easily frustrated or angry.
- Dizziness, headache: Feeling lightheaded and experiencing head pain.
- Weakened immunity, prone to colds and illnesses: Increased susceptibility to infections and illnesses.
- Dark circles under the eyes, worsened eye bags: Increased appearance of dark circles and puffiness around the eyes.
Quick Health Tips: What to Eat? What to Do?
Excessive Internal Heat
- What to Eat?
- Heat-clearing and detoxifying foods: Mung beans, barley, bitter melon, chrysanthemum tea, etc., have heat-clearing and detoxifying effects and can help reduce internal heat.
- Eat more vegetables and fruits: Supplement with vitamins and dietary fibre to help maintain smooth bowel movements and eliminate toxins from the body.
- Avoid spicy and stimulating foods: Reduce intake of spicy and irritating foods such as chilli peppers, ginger, and garlic.
- What to Do?
- Maintain adequate hydration: Drink plenty of water to help promote metabolism and eliminate internal heat toxins.
- Regular schedule: Avoid staying up late and ensure sufficient sleep to help regulate the body's Yin-Yang balance.
- TCM Tips:
- Herbal teas: Drinking herbal teas like chrysanthemum tea and honeysuckle tea can clear heat and detoxify.
- Gua Sha (Scraping): Appropriate Gua Sha can help clear the meridians and expel internal heat toxins.
- Acupoint Massage:
- Dazhui (大椎): Located below the seventh cervical vertebra (C7), the most prominent point when you lower your head. It can help regulate body temperature. Whether it's excess heat or deficiency heat, you can try massaging or Gua Sha this acupoint to help reduce heat.
- Hegu (合谷): Located in the webbing between the thumb and index finger. Pressing it will cause soreness. It can relieve swollen and painful gums.
- Quchi (曲池): Located at the end of the elbow crease when the arm is bent. It is a key acupoint for treating fever.
- Jiangyagou (降压沟): Located in the groove between the back of the ear and the skull. As the name suggests, it can lower blood pressure. People with high blood pressure can rub and press this area themselves.
- What to Eat?
During the New Year, weather changes and dietary habits, such as consuming New Year cakes and fried foods, can easily cause symptoms of internal heat and fever. Therefore, while enjoying the holidays, pay more attention to your health. You can also visit the Kontea Articles for more information on internal heat or consult with a Kontea TCM practitioner to discuss further on a conditioning plan based on your constitution and symptoms.
Digestive issues
- What to Eat?
- Easily digestible foods: Choose light and easily digestible foods, such as porridge, noodles, vegetables, and fruits, to reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines.
- Foods rich in probiotics: Foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt and cheese, help regulate the balance of intestinal flora and improve digestive function.
- Stomach-strengthening and digestion-promoting foods: Hawthorn, malt, and dried tangerine peel have the effects of strengthening the stomach and promoting digestion and can be consumed in moderation.
- Avoid greasy foods: Reduce intake of fried and fatty foods to avoid worsening indigestion.
- What to Do?
- Moderate exercise: Taking a walk after meals helps promote gastrointestinal motility and aid digestion.
- Abdominal massage: Massaging the abdomen clockwise can promote gastrointestinal motility and relieve bloating.
- TCM Tips:
- Acupoint Massage: Massaging Zhongwan (中脘) (4 inches above the navel on the midline of the abdomen), Tianshu (天樞) (2 inches lateral to the navel on both sides), and Zusanli (足三里) (3 inches below the lower edge of the kneecap and 1 cun lateral to the anterior crest of the tibia) can strengthen the spleen and stomach, regulate Qi, and promote digestion. Press or knead the acupoints with your thumb for about five minutes each time, until you feel soreness, numbness, or distension.
- Dietary Suggestion: It is recommended to drink hawthorn water and malt water to aid digestion.
If you overeat in one meal, the following meals should be mainly light to maintain balance and avoid excessive intake of unnecessary food. Avoid gulping your food; chew slowly and thoroughly to break down the food as much as possible to reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines. Avoid drinking water or soup while eating to prevent diluting gastric juices and affecting digestion.
Do not sit down immediately after meals; stand up or do light activities such as walking to promote gastrointestinal motility and aid digestion. Stimulating drinks such as alcohol, coffee, and strong tea can irritate the gastric mucosa and affect digestive function, especially for people with weak spleen and stomach; they should avoid or reduce consumption as much as possible.
Poor Rest Due to Staying Up Late
- What to Eat?
- Foods rich in B vitamins: Foods rich in B vitamins, such as wheat germ, brown rice, and beans, help relieve fatigue and improve sleep quality.
- Nerve-calming and sleep-aiding foods: Lily bulbs, lotus seeds, and milk have nerve-calming and sleep-aiding effects and can be consumed in moderation.
- What to Do?
- Adjust your schedule: Resume a normal schedule as soon as possible and establish regular sleep habits.
- Relax before bed: Soaking your feet, listening to light music, and meditating before bed can help relax your body and mind and improve sleep quality.
- Moderate exercise: Moderate exercise during the day can help improve sleep quality.
- TCM Tips:
- Acupoint Massage: Massaging Taichong (太冲) (in the depression where the first and second metatarsal bones meet), Shenmen (神门) (in the depression at the wrist crease), and Baihui (百会) (at the top of the head) can calm the nerves, aid sleep, and nourish the heart and calm the mind.
- TCM Diet: Lily bulb and lotus seed porridge and Suanzaoren (酸枣仁) (Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa seed) soup are recommended to help calm the nerves and aid sleep.
From a TCM perspective, going to bed after 11 PM is considered staying up late. TCM believes that the period from 11 PM to 3 AM is when the gallbladder and liver meridians are active, and this is when the liver and gallbladder Qi and blood are at their peak, requiring sufficient rest for metabolism and detoxification. If you do not get enough rest during this time, it will affect the function of the liver and gallbladder, leading to Qi and blood imbalance.
Consecutive days of irregular schedules or staying up late can lead to symptoms such as mental confusion, rough skin, dry mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, oral ulcers, tinnitus, nasal congestion, headache, and dry eyes. In severe cases, it can even increase the risk of dementia, cancer, and sudden death. When the body is in a state of excitement for a long time, it will forcibly stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, leading to increased adrenaline secretion. Adrenaline is a stress hormone that keeps people awake and alert, making it difficult to fall asleep or causing insomnia. This is why some people become more energetic the later they stay up, but then become even more tired afterwards.
Kontea Recommendation Products
Summer Heat Tea
Effects: Nourish the liver, support detoxification from alcohol, remove excess dampness for optimal gallbladder function
Suitable for:People who work long hours, with irregular sleep pattern, consume alcohol regularly, smoke, or have a diet high in greasy and salty food.
Important Notice:Ensure adequate sleep, avoid overworking, quit smoking and alcohol, consume a balanced diet, and maintain a relaxed mindset for optimal liver health.
Five-Flower Tea
Effects:A familiar herbal tea that is made of five different types of flowers. It’s able to eliminate dampness in the stomach and the bowel, reduce the risk of influenza, and helps prevention of Hepatitis and various bowel diseases.
Suitable for:Itchy skin, yellowish sweat, body odour, sticky stool.
Detoxification Drink
Effects:People who have always been affected by dampness and body heat, are prone to fatigue, greasy skin acne, skin itching, eczema, bad breath, sticky stool and other symptoms. The main ingredients of Detoxification Drink – Gossampini Flos, mixed with honeysuckle has a strong effect of clearing heat and detoxification. Also, combined with China root has a good effect of removing dampness and tonifying joints. A combination of three is able to effectively relieve the body heat and dampness by recovering Yin energy as well.
Suitable for:Suitable for people with dampness and hot constitution, eczema and itchy skin, sticky stool, and also with peculiar smell.
Chrysanthemum Ginseng Root Herbal Tea
Effects:Chrysanthemum is used in many herbal flower teas due to its affordability and wide range of uses. Ginseng root, on the other hand, is good for nourishment and the invigoration of Qi. A combination of the two is able to eliminate body heat and fatigue.
Suitable for:Staying up late, headaches, hot tempers.
Heat Cooler Paste
Effects:Reduces heat in a body lit by how frail it is.
Suitable for:People who work late, has painful and swollen gums.
Kang Won Herbalist
Kang Won TCM Practitioner also recommends seeking medical attention as soon as rheumatic symptoms begin to appear. Early consultation allows us to provide you with suitable treatment and prevention plans based on your symptoms and underlying causes.
Our TCM Practitioner specializes in diagnosing and treating various internal health issues in the internal medicine field. We are dedicated to balancing the body's energy flow to alleviate internal problems and improve overall health. Therefore, if you have any concerns about rheumatic diseases, we welcome you to consult with us in person to learn more.
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