Sick Again!!

I have not had a cold in three years. I don't sleep enough because I have a sleeping disorder. A three years ago I was so sick. it lasted for a month. After this I started taking supplements regularly , multiple vitamins, minerals and Echinacea. I am also addicted to blueberries (naturalbc it c) and drink a lot if ginger tea with lemon and honey.

It sounds like you already know what's going on, lots of contributing factors... so do something about the ones you can control.

Kids are germ bombs. I never got sick until I had kids, now I get sick at least twice a year. Just the way it goes, but that's ok they are well worth it

Your work stress is understandable, but working out should be a natural stress reliever. Work with a career counselor to get a plan for what's next. With a plan you'll probably feel less stressed.

Food - don't want to feel like garbage? don't eat garbage - simple formula.

Make sure your training plan isn't adding too much volume too quickly. If you're consistently getting sick again and again, try dropping your volume a notch or two until your body adjusts more.

SLEEP. Probably the number one problem. Plan for sleep, block out the times in advance. Wake up early. Cut out all caffeine after noon. Workout at least 3 hours before bed - post workout buzz can be hard to sleep through for me. Take a warm bath before bed to calm your body. Read quietly for half an hour before bed to calm your mind. Take a melatonin 30 minutes before bed to give your hormones a kick start into sleep mode.

When I was training while insomnia I was getting sick often. Eventually I got sick and was sick for a month. It went from cold, to high fever and to severe sinsus infection. If u only getting 3 4- hours of sleep and you are training , you body will not function well.

I am a middle school teacher = dirty kids and stress galore. Though as others said, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for rest. Echinacea and antiox rich foods, berries are great. I am an avid ayurvedic medicinal user: Astragalus! Elderberry! Zinc! Superb immune boosting agents. Cortisol combatants: Tulsi/HolyBasil, Rhodiola. So sure of their effectiveness if coupled with just enough rest that if you find them to not work for you, I'd buy the open bottles off of you. Hope you consider. ZMA before bedtime is also very beneficial.
If you can't get longer nights of sleep, consider trying to get a nap in where you can. Good Luck

Ok, I will jump back on the supplement horse. It sucks because I was on that ball for awhile, taking echinacea and fish oil... but then I just forgot a day or so, then forgot more days, then didn't worry about missing days, then stopped taking them altogether...

The sleeping is a huge issue totally... somedays during the week we have a master swim class and it starts at 7:30pm and usually goes past 8:30. I won't get home til around 9:30 or so, eat dinner, and then play on my phone totally amped!! But then with little kids, they are up at 6:30 on the dot!!!

I think another issue is: *husband pointed this out today on our hike* that i'll go to bed at 10 or so... but then play on my phone, in bed, til about midnight or 1am... i am so guilty of that and didn't even really realize it! I couldn't help it though, it's like, the kids are in bed finally and i'm all cozy in mine! hahaha, what better thing to do than lounge in my awesome bed in the dark and read BT posts all night.

So, I'm going to work on making bed "sacred" and not dick off on my electronics. Maybe that will help?

And maybe if I can get solid consistent sleep my horrible snacking days will go down. Somebody was saying earlier today that when you are tired you will crave junk food more in order to get you quick energy to stay awake. Has anyone else heard of that?

This morning I woke up feeling a little better than yesterday, omitted all coffee, loaded up on the lemon tea like you guys suggested and fruit. Just got out of a hot bath and am about to cuddle with the munchkins. I'm feeling better already so either it's placebo effect or the tea/rest/fruits are genuinely helping Our Southwest Sprint Regional race is in t-minus 2 days now... D:

I think getting a handle on the sleep habits is key. I've seen a lot of research recently that ANY screens within an hour or two of when you want to sleep may be a bad idea, particularly if you take the phones/tablets into the bedroom. Something about the wavelength of light tricking the brain into thinking it's time to stay awake. A common prescription is to use the bedroom only for sleep and....er...."pizza". There is also plenty of research correlating insufficient sleep with weight gain--I'm guessing the body tends to crave quick energy (sweets, carbs) when tired. That can also be an indication of overtraining or iron deficiency. Basically a typical response of the body to stress hormones. You may want to take a look at diet to make sure you are getting enough calories, protein, and healthy fats. Not enough of any of those can also cause the cravings you mentioned.

Not a parent but I am an elementary teacher so have lots of exposure to germy kiddos with sometimes questionable health habits. I don't use any special immune supplements but do sometimes take extra vitamin C if a lot of them have colds. I've just tried to be really disciplined about getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep--I know that is harder with little ones, but you can definitely help yourself but taking the bedroom electronics out of the picture. I understand the temptation--I've been doing online coursework in my "spare time" for the past year, as well as working full time and training for HIM, so some days I have zero "down time" beyond training, but it's just the way it is. I try to sneak in a little more on weekends. I've been able to stay fairly healthy with only about 3 colds a year, but sadly they tend to fall right before my "A" races. Still working on staying healthy during taper.

Best of luck with the race!

And maybe if I can get solid consistent sleep my horrible snacking days will go down. Somebody was saying earlier today that when you are tired you will crave junk food more in order to get you quick energy to stay awake. Has anyone else heard of that?

When I do not sleep enough I have less mental strength to fight cravings and be focused on healthy eating. Also, when I feel so uncomfortable because o lack of sleep ( headaches, eyes burning) I want some comfort and what brings me comfort? of course unhealthy food.
What do you snack on? Can you snack on nuts or almonds or fruits?

Electronics are not good. I have a sleep specialist who has been treating. me. I went from 3-4 hours of sleep to 6-7 per night. It is still not enough, but it is a huge improvement,
It used to take me two hours to fall asleep now it takes me 20 min.
I have attached link to a proper sleep habits.
http://www.nysleepinstitute.com/sleep_hygiene_info.shtml