Low Mood, Poor Sleep Often Precede Herpes

Folklore suggests that stress, negative emotions, and environmental factors can provoke reappearance of herpes simplex infection in predisposed people, and research has shown that stressed mice are more susceptible to the virus. This prospective study examined the extent of this relation.

Thirty-eight patients with genital herpes and 28 with oral herpes completed several daily self-report scales for three months. Ache and irritation tended to increase one day before the appearance of genital lesions and on the same day of appearance of oral lesions. Bouts of genital herpes tended to follow several days of worsening mood, concentration, alertness, and overall well-being (generally preceded by slight improvements). Only women showed significan…