I have been off work with the Flu for a couple of days now. Why am I so tired when I haven’t even been to work or done any exercise?

It may not look as if you are busy, but inside you the immune cells are extremely busy. Any infection will make you feel tired, as your body diverts energy to fighting it, and the symptoms of the infection and side effects of the battle take their toll.

Also, as you are unlikely to have much of an appetite, your energy intake will have decreased so you won’t have as much available.

You will also probably find that your symptoms are making it harder to get to sleep at night. However, what you might not be aware of is that they may be waking you up throughout the night or preventing you from entering deep sleep. This will leave you feeling tired and groggy the next day, even if you felt like you’ve slept for a long time.

This is particularly true of a blocked nose as difficulty breathing will certainly prevent the body from gaining restful sleep.

To ease a blocked nose, I'd recommend a nasal spray such as Sinuforce, and for general cold and flu symptoms, Echinacea would be my go-to recommendation.