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Summer is almost here, and that means one thing to millions of people: festivals! However, as life-changing as a good festival can be, you need to be aware of how the weekend festival effect can negatively impact your body and mind. You may not think it, but attending something like Glastonbury or Creamfields can take its toll if you aren’t prepared. So, from extreme fatigue to a weakened immune system, here are some of the medical effects that can happen to anyone.

Strain on Feet, Joints and Limbs

It’s all well and good dancing for hours on end, but your limbs, feet and joints won’t thank you for it! There’s nothing wrong with letting your hair down and partying like it’s 1999, but you must consider your physical limits. If you aren’t an active person, even a small amount of dancing or just standing in crowds can take its toll on your extremities, and a peripheral arterial disease doctor might even be necessary if you get leg pain and heaviness after coming home.

Fatigue from the Festival Weekend Effect

Festival attendance can be one of life’s greatest experiences, even if you only do it once. However, some people don’t realize the amount of walking, standing, and dancing that comes with it, and it can be a massive shock to your system to the point where you are very fatigued:

• 24% of festival-goers cite fatigue as the primary health issue after attending an event.
• During a multi-day festival, most attendees only get around 4 hours sleep on average.
• It can take around 2 days for you to begin to feel normal again after festival fatigue.

Feeling Severely Dehydrated

One of the most common complaints after attending a festival is dehydration, even while there. It’s too easy to forget about water when you are having a great time in the sun, and more so when drinking alcohol. However, not getting enough water comes with risks such as heatstroke, being more drunk than usual, and fainting. If there is one thing you do when attending a long festival, ensure you know where to get water and take breaks away from alcohol often.

Damage to Your Ears and Tinnitus

One of the most obvious risks of attending a festival is ear damage. Anything over 85 dB is considered extremely dangerous to your ears. However, the average music festival is between 95 and 110 dB, which is actually louder than the engine of a jet plane! As such, it isn’t uncommon for attendees to experience ear pain and slight deafness after an event. You can also experience tinnitus (a ringing or whooshing in the ear) temporarily or for the rest of your life!

The Sun and the Festival Weekend Effect

When attending a festival, 21% of attendees report coming home with sunburn and other ailments, and the sun can be a massive risk to your health when attending a festival, since many take place during the times of the year when the sun is at its strongest. But even in the colder months, you must protect your health with sunscreen as UV rays can still be strong.

Sunburn and skin damage<

Sunburn is the most common ailment you can experience if you don’t take precautions. While it is usually a minor irritation, prolonged exposure can lead to permanent damage to your skin.

The risk of sunstroke

Sunstroke is easy to experience at a festival since you are outdoors all day and probably drinking alcohol. The dehydration caused by heatstroke can be so severe that you can die.

Degraded air quality<

When a festival is put on in a highly built-up area such as a city, the fumes from vehicles with the heat of the sun can trap high levels of ozone and smog, causing severe lung irritation.

“Festival Tummy” Digestive Issues

Delhi belly is one of the most common stomach complaints after going on vacation to India. But have you ever considered that attending a music festival could give you a similar experience? It is well known that a lot of the food at festivals is overpriced and underwhelming, and most of it is processed to within an inch of its taste. Therefore, “festival tummy” is a common complaint among some attendees who also experience vomiting, diarrhea, and general bowel issues.

Airway Irritation from “Festival Lung”

Another festival-related health hazard is “festival lung”, which happens when you inhale large amounts of particulates in the air kicked up by the massive crowds. Most festivals are held in large open spaces. But this doesn’t prevent you from inhaling dust, sand, and dirt as thousands of people go by and release them into the air. After attendance, there is a chance you will experience a sore throat, tightness in your chest, and a cough that lasts for a good while.

The Festival Weekend Effect Impacts Immunity

One of the most overlooked health risks from attending a long festival is how it impacts your body’s immunity through psychological impact. For example, high stress, exhaustion, and exposure to environmental risks can actually challenge the defenses of your body:

• Dancing and being together increases serotonin, which causes a mental crash later on.
• Late-night attendance can reduce the melatonin needed for immunity regulation.
• When you are sleep-deprived, cuts and bruises can heal up to 50% slower.

The Psychological Crash Afterward

We have talked about the physical ailments of attending a festival over several days. However, there is also a psychological impact that can give you post-event blues. This is also common for concerts and other high-excitement activities. The reason is that your brain releases larger-than-usual amounts of serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine when attending, leading to an exhaustion of hormones, where cortisol completely takes over, causing depression.

Summary

Strain on your feet and joints is a common complaint of the “festival weekend effect” that can lead to serious issues such as inflammation afterward. Of course, the sun is also a factor when it comes to the health risks of outdoor events, and you can also experience post-event blues.