12 Reasons You Always Get Sick During the Holidays

Every year, like clockwork, you finish up last-minute projects at work or for school, you finish your Christmas shopping, get through all the holiday concerts and parties and then, just like that, you sink into the abyss of a nasty flu.

Why? Why does this happen every year?

Stress and health are connected, so here are some of the reasons you'll be sniffling and sneezing around the Christmas tree. Starting with: You're run down.

Also, you're getting sick because you're not really disconnecting. The holiday is not only a time to give gifts, it's also a time to unwind, relax and make a paid holiday a true holiday. But if you're still checking email, texting clients and answering calls, you're also upping your cortisol levels. Once you set the phone down or close your laptop, cortisol drops and your weary self is left without the immunity protection of adrenalin.

You also skipped your flu shot, which you swear every year you won't do, but then you do. Flu shots are widely available beginning late in the fall and they are calibrated to combat the flu viruses health experts think will be the big ones in the coming year. Sometimes they don't hit their intended viral target, but generally, even a vaccine against the wrong flu lessens the effects of a different one and you won't be out of commission for as long.

Honestly, airplanes are gross. Or, more specifically, airplane passengers are. Germs are everywhere and you have no place to escape. You're eating and drinking things with your hands and, probably, haven't gotten up to wash them first. Travel is one of the easiest ways to pick up a bug.

You also might be getting sick every year because you're not sleeping enough due to jet lag. If you travel to see family or friends most holidays, try to adjust to their time zone a couple of weeks before you board your flight. It's strange to be on the West Coast and get up at 4 in the morning, just so you won't feel tired getting up at 7 a.m. at your mom's house back east. But it will help you get enough good sleep, which protects your immune system and keeps you from your annual Christmas cold.

Alcohol weakens the immune system. As much fun as it is to cut loose during the holidays, you are likely to pay a price if you don't pace yourself. One thing worse than a hangover is a hangover that includes a stuffy nose, headaches and lots of sneezing.

Holidays are an easy time to overdo it on junk food. Cookies, cakes and tables filled with empty calories devoid of nutrition are everywhere. Not a superfood in sight! Eating junk, instead of vitamin-packed fruits and vegetables, weakens your body's ability to protect itself from germs you're exposed to.

Code red: Avoid the mistletoe. Kissing, hugging and even shaking hands is one of the quickest ways to share germs, some of which will carry a cold or flu virus.

Late nights wrapping gifts and shutting down holiday parties, or early mornings due to jet lag or holiday meal preparations can lead to too little sleep. And getting too little sleep makes us more susceptible to getting sick. Rest up whenever, however you can.

It's easy to blow off your fitness routine when everyone else is hanging out and drinking coffee. But if you want to keep colds and the flu away during the weeks off from work, make sure you stick to it. Get your body moving and your circulation going. This gets blood and germ-fighting cells out and about, so that damage from exposure to various viruses is minimized.

Not drinking enough water means you're not cleaning out your system. Your blood cells can't do what they're meant to do and you become vulnerable to colds. Warm water with lemon or herbal teas count toward your daily intake, so make sure you are meeting your goals. Side benefit: You'll go to the bathroom more often, which means you'll wash your hands more. Take that, germs!

Of course, maybe you don't always get sick during the holidays. Maybe you just think that you do. Maybe the holidays that you hacked and sniffed and sneezed through were the most miserable, and that's what you remember most. Either way, those memories are a good reminder that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. No one should have to spend New Year's Eve sick and in bed.