Why Do We Tend To Get Sick In September

Every September, I hear some version of the same question ...

"Why does everyone seem to get sick as soon as school begins?"

It is easy to blame children returning to school, and increased exposure is certainly part of the picture. When people come together again in classrooms, workplaces, and other indoor spaces, respiratory viruses have more opportunities to spread. In fact, Ontario research has documented a September rise in respiratory illness and asthma-related hospital visits following the return to school.

But as a natural health practitioner, I look at more than the virus.

I also look at what has changed around it.

September Changes More Than Our Schedule

During the summer, many of us spend more time outdoors. The days are longer, routines may be more relaxed, and we may have more opportunities for movement, fresh air, and rest.

Then September arrives.

Children return to school. Adults settle back into fuller work schedules. Mornings become more rushed. Meals may become less consistent. Bedtimes shift. Traffic increases. Activities begin again, and the daylight is already getting shorter.

Our body is being asked to adapt to several changes at once.

This does not mean that a busy week or a later bedtime automatically makes us sick. A respiratory infection is caused by a virus or another infectious organism. But exposure is only one piece of the picture.

I have always looked at the immune system as part of the whole body. It does not operate in isolation from our sleep, stress, nutrition, digestion, elimination, or daily habits.

Supporting Rather Than "Boosting"

We often hear about "boosting" the immune system, but I do not believe the goal is to simply keep pushing it harder.

Our immune system needs to recognize, respond, regulate, and then settle again. That is especially important when we remember that an overactive or misdirected immune response can also create problems.

I prefer to talk about supporting immune function and helping our body remain as balanced and resilient as possible.

That support begins long before we encounter the person coughing beside us.

It is built through the ordinary things we do consistently.

Sleep Is Part of Immune Support

One of the first places I look in September is sleep.

• Are we going to bed later than our body would appreciate?
• Are earlier mornings shortening the amount of sleep we receive?
• Are new schedules making it harder to wind down?

Deep, healing sleep is one of the eight pieces of BODiWELL for a reason. While we sleep, our body is not doing nothing. It is carrying out important repair, regulation, and maintenance work.

We may not be able to prevent every disrupted night, but we can help our body by gradually returning to a steadier rhythm, rather than waiting until we are already exhausted.

Stress Also Uses Resources

September can carry a particular kind of stress.

It may not be a major crisis. It can simply be the constant mental activity of remembering schedules, packing lunches, managing traffic, answering emails, and adjusting to everyone's new routine.

Stress is normal and necessary. The question is whether our body is also receiving opportunities to return to baseline.

That might mean taking a few slow breaths before entering the house, getting outside for a walk, leaving a little space between commitments, or recognizing that our bedtime needs to move earlier.

These actions may seem unrelated to immune health, but our body does not divide itself into separate departments.

Nutrition, Digestion, and the Gut

This is also a helpful time to look at what is, or is not, coming through the entrance door.

• Are we eating enough nourishing food?
• Are we including protein, vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, and the nutrients our body needs?
• Are we drinking enough water as the weather becomes cooler and we feel less thirsty?

And then I look at digestion and the colon.

The digestive tract is an important meeting place between the outside world and our internal environment. Our gut microorganisms and the tissues lining the intestine continually interact with the immune system.

In fact, researchers estimate that approximately 70 to 80% of our immune cells are found in the gut. This helps us understand why digestive health can be such an important part of supporting immune health.

This does not mean that every cold begins in the gut, nor that one probiotic or food can prevent us from becoming sick. It means that digestive and immune health are connected, and caring for the gut is one part of caring for the whole person.

I also ask the very practical question: Are our bowels moving regularly?

What comes through the entrance door eventually needs to leave through the exit door. Supporting digestion and elimination is not a seasonal trend. It is part of everyday maintenance.

Favourite Herbal Supports 

Along with supporting our sleep, nutrition, digestion, and daily habits, herbs can offer additional support.

Two of my favourites at this time of year are:

• HRP-C (capsules or liquid; called VS-C in the US), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula that supports immune function, our natural defences, and a healthy immune response. It may also support our body's response to biological stressors.
• AL-J (tablets or liquid; called Seasonal Allergies in the US), supports our respiratory and immune systems and helps soothe irritated membranes and tissues.

You can explore these and my other seasonal favourites here:

• Nature's Sunshine: Diane's recommended products.

Begining Before Our Body Is Depleted

Too often, we wait until we feel the first tickle in our throat, or until we are already run down, before paying attention to immune health.

I would rather begin with the transition itself.

As September begins, notice what has changed:

• Has your sleep become shorter?
• Are meals becoming rushed or skipped?
• Are you drinking less water?
• Are your bowels moving regularly?
• Has stress increased without enough recovery?
• Are you spending less time outdoors?
• Have the supportive habits you maintained during the summer quietly disappeared?

We do not need to correct everything at once.

Choose one or two places where your body may appreciate more support.

1. Return to an earlier bedtime
2. Prepare nourishing breakfasts
3. Re-establish your water routine
4. Step outside into the morning light
5. Give digestion and elimination the attention they deserve

September illness is not always about one weak immune system, or one strong virus. Often, several things have changed together.

And that is why supporting our health also works best when we remember that our body systems work together.