Because "run down" is a real immunological state: in a landmark NEJM experiment, stressed volunteers deliberately exposed to respiratory viruses got infected in a dose-response pattern - clinical colds climbed from about 27% to 47% as stress rose.
The risk came from more infection, not just more symptoms, and was not explained by sleep, diet, or white-cell counts. Chronic stress keeps cortisol and sympathetic signals high, thinning defenses exactly where respiratory viruses land. Pymander's escalation routing is built and tested specifically for this class of decision; see the safety architecture working paper .
What to do
Common questions
Why do I get sick when I am run down?
Because "run down" is a real immunological state, and the classic experiment removed all doubt. In a landmark New England Journal of Medicine study, researchers quarantined 394 healthy volunteers, measured their psychological stress, then deliberately exposed them to respiratory viruses: infection rates climbed from about 74% to 90% and clinical colds from about 27% to 47% as stress levels rose - a clean dose-response, with the risk driven by more infection, not just more symptoms, and not explained by sleep, diet, smoking, or white-cell counts. The biology: chronic stress keeps cortisol and sympathetic signals elevated, which reshapes immune surveillance in the nose and throat where respiratory viruses land. The practical translation: the week after the crushing deadline is when your defenses are thinnest - not because the cold was waiting, but because the stress was working. You cannot negotiate with the virus, only with the exposure and the reserve: sleep, real food, and lower allostatic load when the crunch ends, because the post-crunch cold is a predictable expense, not bad luck.