Less illness since FIRE?

[Gone Fishing]

As I sit here at my desk fighting a head cold/possible sinus infection to get some deadline work done, I can only think about how nice it must be to convalesce without worrying about work.  Also makes me wonder if the reduction of stress and increased sleep boosts the immune system to the point that it reduces the incidence and duration of illness.  So, do you get sick less and better sooner now that you are FIREd? 

[KMMK]

As I sit here at my desk fighting a head cold/possible sinus infection to get some deadline work done, I can only think about how nice it must be to convalesce without worrying about work.  Also makes me wonder if the reduction of stress and increased sleep boosts the immune system to the point that it reduces the incidence and duration of illness.  So, do you get sick less and better sooner once you are FIREd?

There's also less exposure to viruses when you're not trapped in an office building with many other people.

[regulator]

Absolutely.  And although I have not managed to lose any weight since I quit, I am in way better shape both aerobically and in terms of strength/muscle mass.  Never had as easy a time moving 100 pounds at a time.

[Evgenia]

My husband has been FIRE one month and he's DEFINITELY healthier. He looks about 10 years younger and hasn't been sick at all. I'd suspect that, with less stress breaking the immune system down and less exposure in office environments, that FIRE folks wouldn't get sick as often and would recover more quickly when they do (especially with the ability to actually rest, rather than worry about limited sick days). :-)

[deborah]

I too have been better since I retired. I am just back from Turkey where I did a couple of tours. I was surrounded by ill people - we even had three people go to hospital with pneumonia! I didn't get catch anything until I sat next to two people on the plane coming home, and got their cold.

When I worked I always caught everything that was going around.

[Mrs.LC]

Stress has a great negative impact on the bodies ability to fight off active or potential illness.  Do your best to practice good hand washing and minimize contact with others as you are able. 

[smoghat]

I haven't told my doctor yet, but I've quit my BP medicine. I was borderline high BP for a decade, but since FIRE in May, I have been exercising a whole heck of a lot. I quit my BP meds about 3 weeks ago and my BP is now the same as it was prior to quitting. I bought a BP monitor. While I caught a few high BP moments, those might be errors i measurement. On the whole, my BP is prehypertensive at worst and often merely normal. In other words, an average of an hour a day of exercise is making a huge difference in my health!

[Retired To Win]

Less stress for sure. Fifty pounds lighter.  And having control over my time means that I can take better care of myself if/when I start feeling rundown because I don't have to push myself to be at the job, or make it to the appointment, or whatever.

Ahhh, control over my time. Priceless.  And healthier!

[Dicey]

Well, I hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it, absolutely less illness. Woot! Another thing to be thankful for!