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The Daily Insight

Can the flu make you emotional

Author

Charlotte Adams

Published May 15, 2026

Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, decreased energy, poor concentration, excessive worry…. These are all symptoms of the flu and also of psychiatric states like depression or anxiety. As with much of medicine, the extreme cases are easy to tease apart.

Can the flu make you cry?

When you’re sick, you might also feel grumpy or sad. That’s because the macrophages fighting the infection in your body send out cytokines. These cytokines can affect the parts of your brain that deal with emotions and reasoning.

What are 5 symptoms of the flu?

  • fever* or feeling feverish/chills.
  • cough.
  • sore throat.
  • runny or stuffy nose.
  • muscle or body aches.
  • headaches.
  • fatigue (tiredness)
  • some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

Can flu leave you feeling depressed?

In fact, a study in a 2016 issue of the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found that people who suffered a recent influenza infection (in the previous 30 to 180 days) had a 57 percent higher risk of new onset depression, compared to those who dodged the flu.

Can flu make you feel weird?

Sudden dizziness. Confusion. Extreme or persistent vomiting. Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough.

How do you tell if your body is fighting a virus?

In addition to aches and pains, chills are another tell-tale sign that your body may be fighting off a virus. In fact, chills are often one of the first symptoms that people notice when they’re coming down with the flu.

Can the flu trigger anxiety?

A viral infection will not trigger a new case of anxiety, but it can trigger and intensify your anxiety if you have pre-existing anxiety disorder. A viral infection, or for that matter any illness, can cause you to worry excessively about your health.

Does Flu give you brain fog?

The cognitive effects are more severe with influenza, Smith said. Even after flu sufferers return to work, “they can be impaired for a couple of weeks afterwards.” These short-term declines stem from temporary changes in the brain rather than cold or flu symptoms themselves, he said.

Can the flu cause mental confusion?

Influenza can very rarely lead to encephalitis with symptoms such as confusion, fever, and sometimes seizures or other neurologic problems. Viral versions usually get better without treatment, but the bacterial types do not and must be ruled out, so seeing a doctor is crucial.

How do you know you are recovering from flu?

During this time you will most likely be confined to bed with fatigue, weakness, and a high fever. You usually have symptoms for around 3 to 7 days – once you’re through the worst of the flu, you will still have some lingering symptoms to recover from, which can include a dry cough, fatigue, and weakness.

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What are the first few symptoms of Covid?

Early symptoms reported by some people include fatigue, headache, sore throat or fever. Others experience a loss of smell or taste. COVID-19 can cause symptoms that are mild at first, but then become more intense over five to seven days, with worsening cough and shortness of breath.

How long do Covid take to show symptoms?

On average, symptoms showed up in the newly infected person about 5.6 days after contact. Rarely, symptoms appeared as soon as 2 days after exposure. Most people with symptoms had them by day 12. And most of the other ill people were sick by day 14.

Can you have Covid without a fever?

Although a fever is a common symptom of this virus, it’s still possible to have COVID-19 without a fever, especially within the first few days after being infected. In fact, one study found that just 55.5% of the surveyed COVID-19 patients reported experiencing a fever.

How long till flu is gone?

Flu symptoms, including fever, should go away after about 5 days, but you may still have a cough and feel weak a few days longer. All your symptoms should be gone within 1 to 2 weeks.

How do you cure the flu quickly?

  1. Stay home and get plenty of rest.
  2. Drink plenty of fluids.
  3. Treat aches and fever.
  4. Take care of your cough.
  5. Sit in a steamy bathroom.
  6. Run the humidifier.
  7. Try a lozenge.
  8. Get salty.

How can I get rid of the flu in 24 hours?

  1. Drink plenty of fluids to replace the fluids lost from diarrhea and vomiting. …
  2. Eat plain or bland foods that are less likely to irritate your stomach. …
  3. Rest up. …
  4. Use an over-the-counter (OTC) anti-vomiting or anti-diarrheal medication.

Why does the flu make you depressed?

But it’s no coincidence that when you are physically ill, you feel more depressed than usual. Illnesses like the flu or the common cold can closely mimic and cause depressive symptoms by activating your immune response and inflammation in your body (Hall 1996, Smith 1999, Capuron 1999).

Why do I feel Fluey every night?

At night, there is less cortisol in your blood. As a result, your white blood cells readily detect and fight infections in your body at this time, provoking the symptoms of the infection to surface, such as fever, congestion, chills, or sweating. Therefore, you feel sicker during the night.

What conditions are mistaken for anxiety?

  • Heart Problems. 1 / 15. These can spike your heart and breathing rates the same way anxiety does. …
  • Asthma. 2 / 15. …
  • Diabetes. 3 / 15. …
  • Hyperthyroidism. 4 / 15. …
  • Sleep Apnea. 5 / 15. …
  • Adrenal Dysfunction. 6 / 15. …
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 7 / 15. …
  • Electrolyte Imbalance. 8 / 15.

What are 5 signs of a weak immune system?

Signs of a weak immune system include frequent cold, infections, digestive problems, delayed wound healing, skin infections, fatigue, organ problem, delayed growth, a blood disorder, and autoimmune diseases. The immune system helps protect the body from harmful pathogens and other environmental risks.

What are the signs of strong immune system?

Signs of a strong immune system include patients eating right, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and getting enough sleep. Health care experts in the wellness field are scrambling to keep patients well during a hard-hitting flu season and additional worries about a new coronavirus.

How do I know if my immune system is strong?

Your body shows signs of a strong immune system pretty often. One example is when you get a mosquito bite. The red, bumpy itch is a sign of your immune system at work. The flu or a cold is a typical example of your body failing to stop the germs/bacteria before they get in.

How does the flu affect your mind?

Also, you can get central nervous system complications from the influenza virus, or brain flu. Some of the central nervous complications include Encephalopathy when you get an altered mental status or confusion, or encephalitis, where there’s actually an infection or an inflammation of the brain.

Why do I feel so spaced out?

Summary. Everyone spaces out from time to time. While spacing out can simply be a sign that you are sleep deprived, stressed, or distracted, it can also be due to a transient ischemic attack, seizure, hypotension, hypoglycemia, migraine, transient global amnesia, fatigue, narcolepsy, or drug misuse.

What is flu brain?

Encephalitis (en-sef-uh-LIE-tis) is inflammation of the brain. There are several causes, but the most common is a viral infection. Encephalitis often causes only mild flu-like signs and symptoms — such as a fever or headache — or no symptoms at all. Sometimes the flu-like symptoms are more severe.

How long does Covid fog last?

Oct. 25, 2021 – Patients treated for COVID-19 still had high rates of brain fog an average of more than 7 months after diagnosis, a new study finds. Jacqueline H. Becker, PhD, with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, led the study, which was published online Friday in JAMA Network Open.

What are the stages of a flu?

A bout of the flu typically follows this pattern: Days 1–3: Sudden appearance of fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, dry cough, sore throat and sometimes a stuffy nose. Day 4: Fever and muscle aches decrease. Hoarse, dry or sore throat, cough and possible mild chest discomfort become more noticeable.

Is it bad to lay in bed all day when sick?

If you find yourself sleeping all day when you’re sick — especially during the first few days of your illness — don’t worry. As long as you wake up to drink water and eat some nourishing food from time to time, let your body get all the rest it needs.

What should you eat after the flu?

  • Broth. Whether you prefer chicken, beef, or vegetable, broth is one of the best things you can eat when you have the flu. …
  • Chicken soup. …
  • Garlic. …
  • Yogurt. …
  • Vitamin C–containing fruits. …
  • Leafy greens. …
  • Broccoli. …
  • Oatmeal.

How long after exposure to Covid are you contagious?

The time from exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is thought to be two to 14 days, though symptoms typically appear within four or five days after exposure. We know that a person with COVID-19 may be contagious 48 hours before starting to experience symptoms.

What is a high temperature for Covid?

The most common symptoms are new: continuous cough. fever/high temperature (37.8C or greater)