How to support your immune system during party season

December has a funny way of doing two things at once. Our diaries fill up with drinks, dinners and late-night social events… and suddenly half the people we know are coughing, sniffling or “coming down with something”.

It’s easy to put this down to bad luck or “seasonal bugs”, but, in reality, party season creates a perfect storm for the immune system. Not because you’re doing anything wrong, but because several small, seasonal factors quietly stack up at the same time.

Let’s look at why we get ill more often at this time of year and, importantly, what actually helps. Understanding these factors can help you enjoy the season and stay well.

Why do people get sick more often at this time of year?

Winter changes more than just the temperature and daylight hours. As the days get shorter, we tend to:

• Spend more time indoors, often in close proximity to others without fresh air circulating.
• Get less daylight and more artificial light, which can influence immune signalling, blood sugars and circadian rhythms.
• Move less overall, particularly outdoors.

At the same time, party season means more social mixing – offices, public transport, restaurants, pubs and gatherings – often in warm, enclosed spaces with limited ventilation and a rush to shut the door so you don’t let the heat escape (or anything else!). These conditions make it easier for infections to circulate.

But exposure alone doesn’t determine whether you get sick. How resilient your immune system is at that moment plays a huge role – and this is where alcohol, blood sugar and festive routines come into play.

Alcohol and immune function

Yes, I’m sorry, I’m back talking about alcohol. Alcohol doesn’t just affect the liver, or give relief after a hard day, which is usually the focus it gets. It has a direct impact on the immune system.

Even short-term increases in alcohol intake can:

• Reduce the effectiveness of immune cells involved in fighting infections.
• Disrupt the gut lining and microbiome ecosystem, which houses and supports a large proportion of the immune system (over 70%).
• Impair sleep quality, which is essential for immune repair and regulation.

During party season, alcohol intake often increases not just in quantity but in frequency – with a drink here, a glass there, several evenings in a row because of social commitments.

This doesn’t mean you need to avoid alcohol altogether. But regular drinking, layered on top of late nights and rich food, can quietly lower immune resilience – making it easier for viruses to take hold.

Blood sugar, festive food and immunity

Christmas food is joyful, and sometimes it is very different from how we eat the rest of the year.

More refined carbohydrates, sugar-rich treats, grazing between meals and alcohol can all contribute to larger blood sugar spikes and crashes, particularly when meals are unbalanced.

Why does this matter for your immune system?
Repeated blood sugar spikes are associated with:

• Increased inflammation.
• Reduced white blood cell function.
• Added stress on the body during a period of higher immune demand.

This can show up as feeling run down, slower recovery from minor illnesses, or catching “every bug going around”.

This isn’t about restriction or avoiding festive food. It’s about supporting the body so it can cope with a busier, more demanding season – and some fun food on the side.

How to support your immune system during party season

The aim isn’t perfection – it’s immune resilience. Small, consistent habits make a meaningful difference.

Anchor your meals
Even during festive weeks, regular, balanced meals matter. Including protein, fibre-rich carbohydrates and healthy fats helps stabilise blood sugar and provides key nutrients immune cells rely on. A solid lunch earlier in the day can also prevent arriving at evening events overly hungry, which often leads to bigger blood sugar swings later.

Be strategic with alcohol
Rather than thinking in extremes, focus on spacing and recovery. Helpful approaches include alternating alcoholic drinks with water, avoiding multiple drinking days in a row where possible, eating before drinking, and choosing alcohol-free days during the week. Your immune system benefits not just from less alcohol but from having time to recover between exposures.

Protect your sleep (as much as real life allows)
Sleep is one of the most powerful tools for immune health. Late nights will happen — enjoy them — but what matters is the overall pattern. Aim to return to a consistent sleep routine on quieter nights, wind down properly after events, and avoid letting one late night turn into a week of disrupted sleep and Netflix binges. Even a couple of good-quality nights can help restore immune balance.

Keep moving and get daylight
Gentle movement and daylight exposure support immune cell circulation, help regulate stress hormones, contribute to blood sugar stability and generally make you feel better overall. This doesn’t need to be intense exercise. A short walk outside can be surprisingly effective. It’s not cliché, it’s nature.

Support your gut
The gut and immune system are closely linked. During party season, prioritise fibre-rich vegetables, fermented foods (if tolerated) and adequate hydration. This helps maintain gut integrity and immune communication, particularly when alcohol and richer foods are more frequent.

Getting sick during party season isn’t a personal failing. We’ll all get ill from time to time, and those experiences help the immune system remember what to do – we can be grateful for that in those moments too.

More often than not, it’s the result of stacked seasonal stressors rather than one single cause. By supporting blood sugar, sleep, gut health and recovery alongside enjoying social events, you give your immune system what it needs to stay resilient.

Not perfection. Just enough support to keep up with a very busy, very social time of year – so you can enjoy all of it.