Festival flu is a term for those suffering from the after effects of a festival.
The condition is synonymous with symptoms such as exhaustion, lack of nutrition, dehydration and pain on your vocal cords from shouting.
Festival flu can also happen while you're still up to your knees in mud.
It feels like fun at the time, but hours of walking, dancing, standing, drinking and nights of very little sleep can take its toll on your physical and mental wellbeing.
How can you combat it?
Often, symptoms of festival flu are similar to that of the common cold, according to the American Lung Association.
Those symptoms can include:
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Scratchy throat
- Sneezing
Music festivals bring together thousands of people from locations all over the globe, but the festival flu’s origins are likely nothing more exotic than the common cold.
Research has found that over a half of upper respiratory infections are caused by rhinovirus.
Symptoms of rhinovirus are similar to the flu, with signs such as nasal dryness, headache, sore throat and facial and ear pressure.
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Bacterial infections can account for some of the upper respiratory infections felt.
Bacterial and viral infections can cause similar symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, fever, inflammation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue, and cramping.
All of which are ways the immune system tries to rid the body of infectious organisms.
How to combat festival fever
It may seem impossible, but ensuring you are getting the required shut-eye can make all the difference – yes, even when you're at Glastonbury.
And really, it makes sense. If you sleep well, you wake up feeling rested, particularly if feeling the early onset of a flu or a cold.
Getting some kind of physical exercise will also help mostly for the mind and body connection, experts advise.
But the ultimate tip to help you avoid festival flu is water, water, water.
After a heavy drinking session, drink plenty of water (and fluids) throughout the day to flush out toxins and restore your hydration levels is key.
Drinking a few glasses of water before you start boozing, trying to alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water while on the lash, and downing a drink of water before you go to bed after a heavy session, is what doctors advise, as it will significantly help to counteract the harmful effects of partying.
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