While not actually a flu, freshers’ flu can still spread (and feel!) like the plague. Characterised by headaches, fevers, coughs and a blocked or runny nose, this bad cold is the dampener of many a student’s first experiences of university and (talking from experience) can turn Freshers’ week into a hallucination-filled hell, even without entering Revs. So, can we do anything to avoid this?

First of all, it’s important to consider the scientific basis of the cold. Caused by a virus, once infected the body requires the immune system to first detect, and then act to neutralise the foreign pathogen in order to combat the illness. Considering this, one of the best ways to lessen the impact of freshers’ flu is to enact preventative measures, ensuring that our immune systems are healthy and in a fit state to fight off the virus efficiently.

“This bad cold can turn Freshers’ week into a hallucination-filled hell, even without entering Revs”

Nutrition

The immune system, like our digestive and circulatory systems, requires maintenance. A sure-fire way of doing this is by being mindful of the fuel we give our bodies.

Perhaps at the top of the list for promoting immune health is vitamin C, whose beneficial role doesn’t end there: enhancing iron absorption (which benefits your red blood cells), speeding up wound healing and strengthening blood vessels, there really is no reason to not seek this vitamin out. Vitamin C is found in high concentrations in citrus fruits, as well as broccoli, tomatoes and cantaloupe, as well as being widely available in dissolvable tablet forms which come in different flavours, with the tropical flavour from Sainsbury’s colouring my first year Lent term.

Some honourable mentions here are vitamins A, D, B3 and the essential mineral zinc, which also contribute to immune support and good general health.

Stress management

Changing environments and meeting new people at university can be a stressful time; a main reason for the influx of illness at the start of the new academic year. Nicknamed ‘the stress hormone’, cortisol at healthy levels is actually beneficial. Originally an integral part of the fight-or-flight response, the hormone helps to maintain blood glucose levels by stimulating gluconeogenesis — the process of creating glucose in the body as an alternative to breaking down glycogen stores to release it. This action has helpful ramifications for the body by providing an additional fuel source, which is why cortisol levels increase in stressful situations, starvation, and during a period of sleep.

Cortisol’s role in immune suppression involves inhibiting the secretion of interleukin by immune cells. Interleukin — a type of cytokine (messengers used by the immune system) — is used to mediate cellular immune responses. At healthy levels, cortisol is used to keep the immune system in check: preventing negative autoimmune responses and nullifying immune system hyperactivity.

When cortisol surpasses healthy levels (which also includes raised cortisol levels over long periods of time, seen in chronic stress), is when things start to go awry. Consistently raised cortisol levels lead to continuous immune suppression, resulting in a decreased immune response when it is most needed - during an infection or illness. This can mean that fresher’s flu can wreak havoc in the body for much longer, increasing the time spent with the sniffles and bedrest.

How can we manage stress? This is the million-dollar question - it’s virtually impossible to avoid stressful moments at university, especially during Fresher’s, but making sure to have moments of comfort during those times is important. This could include maintaining strong support networks, such as with family and home friends, spending time with yourself and your hobbies, and later keeping up open communication with supervisors and student support services if you need them. A hot cup of tea can go a long way too.

Sleep and routine

This cycle of cortisol concentration is linked to circadian rhythms (your internal body clock). During a typical night’s sleep (which, if going by expert recommendations, should be 7-9 hours a night), cortisol levels are low and pro-inflammatory hormone levels are high, a pattern timed to the resting period. These pro-inflammatory hormones have immune-boosting functions such as increasing cytokine production, helping fight infection. In the morning, cortisol levels increase in response to a drop in blood glucose levels due to not eating while asleep - these higher levels then help to control the immune system and return immune cell numbers to a lower baseline.

With all this in mind, it isn’t hard to see how both sleep deprivation and irregular sleeping patterns can hinder the immune system on its quest to rid us of illness. As the culprit that’s also behind jetlag, unsynced cortisol cycles can additionally lead to memory problems, anxiety, changes in metabolism and headaches. Having regular sleep patterns can minimise mood changes from cortisol fluxes during waking hours, and working routine into your day can also relieve stress: a double whammy of cortisol-reducing techniques.

In addition to getting your vitamins, managing stress and sleeping well, taking measures to minimise transmission can also decrease your chances of catching freshers’ flu. This can include improving air quality during meets by opening windows or meeting outside, keeping up with recommended vaccines (just in case the shivers you catch turn out to be meningitis, a different breed of evil) and increased hygiene, which may include washing hands regularly (with soap, you fiends) and keeping hand sanitiser handy: an added benefit to this tip is the increased chances you get for interaction — nothing better than sharing hand sanitiser for making new friends.

“Nothing better than sharing hand sanitiser for making new friends”

Finally, it’s probably healthy to resign yourself to the fact that, like everyone else, you will probably end up with freshers’ flu at some point anyways, despite the measures you take to avoid it. At this point it’s an (albeit snotty) rite of passage. Recovery looks different for everyone; don’t be discouraged if your body takes longer than most to shake it off. Eating healthily and drinking plenty of fluids (no, vodka lemonade doesn’t count) can help, as well as taking paracetamol, soothers or strepsils to alleviate symptoms. Hot drinks, such as the tried-and-tested parental remedy of chopped ginger and lemon in hot water, can clear passages and be useful destressors.

When you talk to older years about combating freshers’ flu, you are often met with a laugh and a comment about how you can’t. Sometimes rare tidbits of sage advice are given, such as carrying excess tissues around (‘you can never have too many tissues’) and stocking up on Lemsip preemptively (‘don’t rely on Mainsbury’s to save you’). While it may not be possible to completely eradicate the additional cortisol that comes with the Cambridge experience, you can at least open the multivitamins bottle that your parents stuffed into your backpack before you left home.