All About Genital Herpes: 5 Ways to Ease Stress and Stay Healthy

Managing stress in healthy ways may help reduce how often you have a genital herpes outbreak. Ongoing stress lasting more than a week seems to trigger genital herpes outbreaks more than any other lifestyle factor.

Here are five steps you can take to manage stress better:

1. Get enough sleep. The more rested you are, the better you will be able to handle stress in your life. Most people need about eight hours of sleep every night to function normally. Some need less than that, others need more. Note how long you sleep when you don't set an alarm clock. If, for example, you go to sleep at 11 p.m. and wake up naturally and feeling well rested at 8 a.m., you probably need at least nine hours every night.
2. Balance your diet. Make sure your diet includes all the nutrients your body needs to keep you going strong. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and limit the amount of sugary and fatty foods and soft drinks you consume. Also cut back on caffeine and alcohol if you tend to overindulge in those.
3. Exercise. Physical activity is a great stress reliever. Do something that you enjoy, so that it doesn't seem like a chore. For motivation, include a friend. That could mean playing a sport such as tennis, or having a partner to exercise with at the gym or walk or jog with.
4. Reach out. When you're stressed, sometimes the last thing you want to do is socialize. But being with people and having fun can help you forget your troubles for a while. It's not healthy to dwell on them every minute. It's also good to talk about your problems with someone who cares about you and whom you can trust -- a friend, a family member, a spouse, or even a therapist.
5. Relax. In addition to all the above, a few minutes of down time does a lot of good. You've probably heard about relaxation techniques, such as yoga or electronic biofeedback, but you don't have to do those things if listening to music, knitting, or just staring out the window is your idea of a relaxing break.

Although persistent stress may lead to outbreaks, the little stressful events and annoyances you face in your daily life do not appear to be stressful enough to trigger genital herpes symptoms.

Other Triggers to Consider

Keep these other triggers in mind. Some may cause your genital herpes to flare-up, others not.

• Factors during sex. Some people find that the friction of sexual intercourse irritates the skin and brings on symptoms. Using a water-based lubricant can help reduce irritation. Don't use one that contains the spermacide nonoxynol-9, however. Nonoxynol-9 can irritate mucous membranes, such as the lining of the vagina. Oil-based lubricants are a no-no, too. They weaken latex, making condoms more likely to break. Even if the friction of intercourse seems to be a trigger for your symptoms, it probably won't cause a flare-up every time you have sex.
• Colds and sunlight. The common cold and sunlight seem to trigger outbreaks of oral herpes (cold sores), but no proof exists that they trigger genital herpes outbreaks.
• Hormones. Hormonal changes, like those that occur in the menstrual cycle, can affect genital herpes outbreaks. No one knows why yet.
• Surgery, weak immune system. Trauma to the body, such as having surgery, may make herpes symptoms appear. It's possible that having a weakened immune system does, too. People whose immune systems are weakened by HIV, for example, tend to have outbreaks more often than people with normal immune functioning do.

Remember that triggers may not be the same for everyone, and doctors are not certain how much lifestyle has to with outbreaks of herpes symptoms. If you think one triggers your symptoms, ask your doctor what you should do about it.