Got mine this morning. This is my annual thread telling people to do so. I know this year is more complicated but maximize your chance to stay healthy.
To make that flu shot effective, sleep specialist Matthew Walker, the bestselling author of "Why We Sleep," told CNN's Christiane Amanpour practicing "good sleep hygiene" is important.
Insufficient sleep in the week before getting a flu shot can lead to the production of less than 50% of the normal antibody response -- a reaction that would render the flu shot largely ineffective, Walker told Amanpour. Walker specializes in the relationship between sleep and human health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Walker cited a 2002 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, and a 2020 study in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine supports those findings, suggesting that sleep on nights prior to vaccination could be critical to vaccine efficacy.
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
in and out in my doctor’s office. A little more work this year because I had to schedule a time due to social distancing where previously I just called and walked in. Before I retired, used to get it at work, where the company brought in a nurse for a day or two.
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
Like Hepatitas B, the shingles vaccine requires an initial then a second shot between 2 and 6 months later.
Yeah, when I posted it, I thought I may not have been clear with the shingles shot.
& for the life of me, I don't understand why people refuse to get one, but oh well.
Yea, I don't understand why people are against it. With pharmacies everywhere now (most grocery stores, Walmart, Target, etc) it literally adds 5 min to a trip to any of those places. And its free with most insurance plans.
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
Like Hepatitas B, the shingles vaccine requires an initial then a second shot between 2 and 6 months later.
Yeah, when I posted it, I thought I may not have been clear with the shingles shot.
I see, I thought you were suggesting a 2nd flu shot.
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
Like Hepatitas B, the shingles vaccine requires an initial then a second shot between 2 and 6 months later.
Yeah, when I posted it, I thought I may not have been clear with the shingles shot.
I see, I thought you were suggesting a 2nd flu shot.
apologies...
RE: RE: RE: I'm perfectly healthy without the shot
& for the life of me, I don't understand why people refuse to get one, but oh well.
Yea, I don't understand why people are against it. With pharmacies everywhere now (most grocery stores, Walmart, Target, etc) it literally adds 5 min to a trip to any of those places. And its free with most insurance plans.
I am not against the flu shot. People who want it should get it.
RE: RE: RE: I'm perfectly healthy without the shot
the flu shot. It's usually effective for six months so getting it now should provide ample protection well into the start of Spring.
It's unbelievable how many people year after year don't get the shot. The positive impact it has on the overall public health is substantial. I almost wish it was mandatory...
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
You don't know when you've had a good night of sleep?
Let's use today as an example. Say you typically try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night (which is what we should be doing though most people do not). And that's your norm.
No, say, for whatever reason you've had a stressful week with work, or travel, or other issues that caused you to get 4-6 hours of sleep last night, or a few bad days in a row of lesser hours of sleep, then perhaps don't get the flu shot today. Get it next week when you've had a chance to reset.
Or, say that you routinely get 5-6 hours of sleep a night due to insomnia, bad habits, TV, work, whatever-- I have never been good at shutting down for the night myself. The goal would be to try and force yourself to commit to going to bed earlier and trying to get a few nights in a row of more thorough sleep so that the flu shot is more effective.
That's what I mean by having a good week of sleep.
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
You don't know when you've had a good night of sleep?
Let's use today as an example. Say you typically try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night (which is what we should be doing though most people do not). And that's your norm.
No, say, for whatever reason you've had a stressful week with work, or travel, or other issues that caused you to get 4-6 hours of sleep last night, or a few bad days in a row of lesser hours of sleep, then perhaps don't get the flu shot today. Get it next week when you've had a chance to reset.
Or, say that you routinely get 5-6 hours of sleep a night due to insomnia, bad habits, TV, work, whatever-- I have never been good at shutting down for the night myself. The goal would be to try and force yourself to commit to going to bed earlier and trying to get a few nights in a row of more thorough sleep so that the flu shot is more effective.
That's what I mean by having a good week of sleep.
I don't know if I really believe it.
However, I will see that there are studies that show a link between immune responses and stress (specifically cortisol and other types of stress hormones), so maybe it isn't far-fetched to think that being rested elevates calming hormones and helps to facilitate productive immune responses. Certainly more reasonable than "Immune Power Diet" types of crap.
It's truly unbelievable that in the midst of a global pandemic that this attitude still exists. And this reasoning is why I am worried about how long it will take to truly combat Covid.
I hear this a lot from my friends who are reluctant to get their flu shot is that it "makes them sick". Let me state emphatically that this vaccine cannot make you sick.
What it does do is protect the spread of the flu and helps reduce the strength of it. While you may be perfectly healthy and could withstand the flu- many people cannot. For example- newborns, the elderly and the immunocompromised. You are doing a service for them.
I would love to hear the reasons why people don't receive this. I simply do not understand it for the life of me...
Had a reaction to the shot for the first time ever. Felt like crap for 24 hours.
Also got the first of two Shingrex vaccines in September. Go back the middle of November for the second shot.
The shingles vaccine in the arm really hurt for about a day and a half.
It's truly unbelievable that in the midst of a global pandemic that this attitude still exists. And this reasoning is why I am worried about how long it will take to truly combat Covid.
I hear this a lot from my friends who are reluctant to get their flu shot is that it "makes them sick". Let me state emphatically that this vaccine cannot make you sick.
What it does do is protect the spread of the flu and helps reduce the strength of it. While you may be perfectly healthy and could withstand the flu- many people cannot. For example- newborns, the elderly and the immunocompromised. You are doing a service for them.
I would love to hear the reasons why people don't receive this. I simply do not understand it for the life of me...
This is not entirely true. Yes, it's true the flu shot cannot give you the flu, but you can have a reaction to the flu shot - headache and low grade fever are not uncommon.
Sometimes it's an overreaction to this reaction that causes panic in people.
I was always skeptical of this until my youngest had a reaction this year and it lasted about 36 hours and then she was fine. but to be 100% clear, the flu shot cannot give you the flu but it can make you seem sick. This also complicated things - because she missed school with a fever, she had to get a COVID test to return to school - that took 3+ days to come back (but that's not super relevant).
Still absolutely worth it and not an excuse to not get the shot if that's one's reason.
It's truly unbelievable that in the midst of a global pandemic that this attitude still exists. And this reasoning is why I am worried about how long it will take to truly combat Covid.
I hear this a lot from my friends who are reluctant to get their flu shot is that it "makes them sick". Let me state emphatically that this vaccine cannot make you sick.
Tyree; I'm a proponent of getting flu shots, but it doesn't help to spread mis-information about them. People, including myself have bad reactions to flu shots, sometimes serious. For 2019-2020 I waited until February to get a shot and wound up having such a bad reaction I had to go to the ER. I didn't deter me from getting a flu shot for 2020-2021 a few weeks ago. Once again I felt lousy for a couple of days, but I have no regrets.
Among other reasons, this year hospitals and clinics may be overwhelmed with COVID victims. This is not a good time to get the flu. Even a partially effective imperfect flu vaccine is better than no vaccine.
I did misstate in my post. The flu vaccine is not a live virus and cannot under any circumstances give you the flu. There are rare side effects that are typically very mild.
Put it this way- every reputable hospital requires all their employees to get a flu vaccine.
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: I'm perfectly healthy without the shot
Please explain how Pharma companies cash in on the flu vaccine?
Look, I get the flu shot, and wouldn't consider not getting it. But what kind of question is that?
The poster said- "No, it's about the Pharma companies cashing in."
I am questioning that because it is a dumb reason not to get the flu vaccine. Vaccines are not a huge moneymaker for drug companies. Across all the companies that produce them- it equals a very small portion of their total sales ( 1% or even less).
It is not true nor is it a valid reason to get a flu vaccine that can protect you and many many other people.
they are told to, which has only heightened in the social media age. If you have a legitimate reason not to get one then fine, I won't argue. But throwing out conspiracy theories is a bad look, and a stupid reason.
If COVID has taught you anything its that we should probably care just a tad bit more about the people around us - and one would think that includes, more especially, family members. I visited my grandmother-in-law at her nursing home on my last work trip to Florida mid-February. I felt terrible for visiting a couple weeks later once quarantine was looking likely.
If I had a sick relative, or a baby, being near them without getting my flu shot seems pretty inconsiderate to put it mildly.
Insufficient sleep in the week before getting a flu shot can lead to the production of less than 50% of the normal antibody response -- a reaction that would render the flu shot largely ineffective, Walker told Amanpour. Walker specializes in the relationship between sleep and human health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Walker cited a 2002 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, and a 2020 study in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine supports those findings, suggesting that sleep on nights prior to vaccination could be critical to vaccine efficacy.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/health/flu-shot-effectiveness-sleep-wellness/index.html - ( New Window )
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Your call. Sounds like you've done your research.
The people who got polio were perfectly healthy before getting polio too.
"Smallpox? Why would I get a vaccine, I've never had it before!"
What a dummy you are.
Quote:
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
Like Hepatitas B, the shingles vaccine requires an initial then a second shot between 2 and 6 months later.
Yeah, when I posted it, I thought I may not have been clear with the shingles shot.
Yea, I don't understand why people are against it. With pharmacies everywhere now (most grocery stores, Walmart, Target, etc) it literally adds 5 min to a trip to any of those places. And its free with most insurance plans.
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Really?
Quote:
In comment 15025083 section125 said:
Quote:
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
Like Hepatitas B, the shingles vaccine requires an initial then a second shot between 2 and 6 months later.
Yeah, when I posted it, I thought I may not have been clear with the shingles shot.
I see, I thought you were suggesting a 2nd flu shot.
Quote:
In comment 15025091 pjcas18 said:
Quote:
In comment 15025083 section125 said:
Quote:
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
Only thing my doc said was to wait until October so the effectiveness lasts until spring - I guess they have about a 6 month period in which they help...
Thanks Big Al for the reminder. Got mine the start of October with the Shingles shot - have to wit until December for the 2nd one.
2nd one?
Like Hepatitas B, the shingles vaccine requires an initial then a second shot between 2 and 6 months later.
Yeah, when I posted it, I thought I may not have been clear with the shingles shot.
I see, I thought you were suggesting a 2nd flu shot.
apologies...
Quote:
In comment 15025087 fivehead said:
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Really?
No, it's about the Pharma companies cashing in.
If we're all wearing masks and social distancing for the foreseeable future, is the shot necessary?
Quote:
& for the life of me, I don't understand why people refuse to get one, but oh well.
Yea, I don't understand why people are against it. With pharmacies everywhere now (most grocery stores, Walmart, Target, etc) it literally adds 5 min to a trip to any of those places. And its free with most insurance plans.
I am not against the flu shot. People who want it should get it.
Quote:
In comment 15025087 fivehead said:
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Really?
Yes
Quote:
In comment 15025093 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
In comment 15025087 fivehead said:
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Really?
No, it's about the Pharma companies cashing in.
If we're all wearing masks and social distancing for the foreseeable future, is the shot necessary?
Brilliant....
Now, how about teachers, retail employees, construction workers - you know people that have to work with other people. Two different animals.
It's unbelievable how many people year after year don't get the shot. The positive impact it has on the overall public health is substantial. I almost wish it was mandatory...
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
"Smallpox? Why would I get a vaccine, I've never had it before!"
What a dummy you are.
I mean, you're not comparing apples to oranges.
They take an educated guess as to what will be the most common flu strains of the year. Getting the flu shot doesn't mean you won't get the flu.
The small pox vaccine prevents you from getting small pox
Quote:
In comment 15025087 fivehead said:
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
"Smallpox? Why would I get a vaccine, I've never had it before!"
What a dummy you are.
I mean, you're not comparing apples to oranges.
They take an educated guess as to what will be the most common flu strains of the year. Getting the flu shot doesn't mean you won't get the flu.
The small pox vaccine prevents you from getting small pox
Whoops. You're comparing apples to oranges. D'oh
The small pox vaccine prevents you from getting small pox
FWIW, WHO said small pox was eradicated in 1980..there have been no naturally occurring cases since. 1st time a disease was effectively eliminated.
Yep, that is correct. Even if you get a strain not included in the vaccination, supposedly it will be less severe.
Never got one until I became an old geezer, but cannot take chances with the "other" one around to compound things.
Quote:
In comment 15025093 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
In comment 15025087 fivehead said:
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Really?
No, it's about the Pharma companies cashing in.
If we're all wearing masks and social distancing for the foreseeable future, is the shot necessary?
Pharma would make more money treating people that get sick.
And unfortunately, many people still don't wear masks and/or socially distance.
Hopefully, the COVID practices will also help to keep flu down this year, but there's no guarantee.
You don't know when you've had a good night of sleep?
Let's use today as an example. Say you typically try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night (which is what we should be doing though most people do not). And that's your norm.
No, say, for whatever reason you've had a stressful week with work, or travel, or other issues that caused you to get 4-6 hours of sleep last night, or a few bad days in a row of lesser hours of sleep, then perhaps don't get the flu shot today. Get it next week when you've had a chance to reset.
Or, say that you routinely get 5-6 hours of sleep a night due to insomnia, bad habits, TV, work, whatever-- I have never been good at shutting down for the night myself. The goal would be to try and force yourself to commit to going to bed earlier and trying to get a few nights in a row of more thorough sleep so that the flu shot is more effective.
That's what I mean by having a good week of sleep.
Quote:
but how the hell do you know you've had a good week of sleep? However I sleep, I sleep.
You don't know when you've had a good night of sleep?
Let's use today as an example. Say you typically try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night (which is what we should be doing though most people do not). And that's your norm.
No, say, for whatever reason you've had a stressful week with work, or travel, or other issues that caused you to get 4-6 hours of sleep last night, or a few bad days in a row of lesser hours of sleep, then perhaps don't get the flu shot today. Get it next week when you've had a chance to reset.
Or, say that you routinely get 5-6 hours of sleep a night due to insomnia, bad habits, TV, work, whatever-- I have never been good at shutting down for the night myself. The goal would be to try and force yourself to commit to going to bed earlier and trying to get a few nights in a row of more thorough sleep so that the flu shot is more effective.
That's what I mean by having a good week of sleep.
I don't know if I really believe it.
However, I will see that there are studies that show a link between immune responses and stress (specifically cortisol and other types of stress hormones), so maybe it isn't far-fetched to think that being rested elevates calming hormones and helps to facilitate productive immune responses. Certainly more reasonable than "Immune Power Diet" types of crap.
You are probably also a safe driver, so no need to wear your seat belt either
It's truly unbelievable that in the midst of a global pandemic that this attitude still exists. And this reasoning is why I am worried about how long it will take to truly combat Covid.
I hear this a lot from my friends who are reluctant to get their flu shot is that it "makes them sick". Let me state emphatically that this vaccine cannot make you sick.
What it does do is protect the spread of the flu and helps reduce the strength of it. While you may be perfectly healthy and could withstand the flu- many people cannot. For example- newborns, the elderly and the immunocompromised. You are doing a service for them.
I would love to hear the reasons why people don't receive this. I simply do not understand it for the life of me...
Quote:
In comment 15025093 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
In comment 15025087 fivehead said:
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
The flu shot isn’t about you.
Really?
No, it's about the Pharma companies cashing in.
If we're all wearing masks and social distancing for the foreseeable future, is the shot necessary?
Please explain how Pharma companies cash in on the flu vaccine?
Also got the first of two Shingrex vaccines in September. Go back the middle of November for the second shot.
The shingles vaccine in the arm really hurt for about a day and a half.
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
It's truly unbelievable that in the midst of a global pandemic that this attitude still exists. And this reasoning is why I am worried about how long it will take to truly combat Covid.
I hear this a lot from my friends who are reluctant to get their flu shot is that it "makes them sick". Let me state emphatically that this vaccine cannot make you sick.
What it does do is protect the spread of the flu and helps reduce the strength of it. While you may be perfectly healthy and could withstand the flu- many people cannot. For example- newborns, the elderly and the immunocompromised. You are doing a service for them.
I would love to hear the reasons why people don't receive this. I simply do not understand it for the life of me...
This is not entirely true. Yes, it's true the flu shot cannot give you the flu, but you can have a reaction to the flu shot - headache and low grade fever are not uncommon.
Sometimes it's an overreaction to this reaction that causes panic in people.
I was always skeptical of this until my youngest had a reaction this year and it lasted about 36 hours and then she was fine. but to be 100% clear, the flu shot cannot give you the flu but it can make you seem sick. This also complicated things - because she missed school with a fever, she had to get a COVID test to return to school - that took 3+ days to come back (but that's not super relevant).
Still absolutely worth it and not an excuse to not get the shot if that's one's reason.
Quote:
but thanks for "telling me to do so".
It's truly unbelievable that in the midst of a global pandemic that this attitude still exists. And this reasoning is why I am worried about how long it will take to truly combat Covid.
I hear this a lot from my friends who are reluctant to get their flu shot is that it "makes them sick". Let me state emphatically that this vaccine cannot make you sick.
Among other reasons, this year hospitals and clinics may be overwhelmed with COVID victims. This is not a good time to get the flu. Even a partially effective imperfect flu vaccine is better than no vaccine.
Put it this way- every reputable hospital requires all their employees to get a flu vaccine.
Look, I get the flu shot, and wouldn't consider not getting it. But what kind of question is that?
Quote:
Please explain how Pharma companies cash in on the flu vaccine?
Look, I get the flu shot, and wouldn't consider not getting it. But what kind of question is that?
The poster said- "No, it's about the Pharma companies cashing in."
I am questioning that because it is a dumb reason not to get the flu vaccine. Vaccines are not a huge moneymaker for drug companies. Across all the companies that produce them- it equals a very small portion of their total sales ( 1% or even less).
It is not true nor is it a valid reason to get a flu vaccine that can protect you and many many other people.
If COVID has taught you anything its that we should probably care just a tad bit more about the people around us - and one would think that includes, more especially, family members. I visited my grandmother-in-law at her nursing home on my last work trip to Florida mid-February. I felt terrible for visiting a couple weeks later once quarantine was looking likely.
If I had a sick relative, or a baby, being near them without getting my flu shot seems pretty inconsiderate to put it mildly.