Dr. Murray Feingold: Nighttime isn't right time to get sick

Although there isn't any good time to get sick, there can be better or worse times.

For example, a really bad time to get sick is the day before your daughter's wedding. Or before an important personal engagement. Becoming ill when you are 1,000 miles away from home and alone in some hotel room can also be very difficult.

People who are career driven believe it's better to get sick during a weekend so they won't miss any work. However, most people don't want to get sick during the weekend because it impinges on their free and fun times.

Many people are not aware of how traumatic it can be if they, or a family member, get sick at night. It is frequently a very emotional situation.

For various reasons, getting ill during the night hours is very threatening and worrisome. One reason is the unavailability of your doctor to discuss the situation. Such a discussion would hopefully provide advice or relieve concerns.

Another concern is determining if the illness is severe enough to require a visit to an emergency room at 2 in the morning. This is usually not a pleasant experience.

It is even worse when your young child is sick. Again, you don't have the security blanket of discussing his or her symptoms with the child's doctor. So, you end up worrying about what you should do. You may be so anxious that you hover over the child for most of the night.

Also, symptoms appear to be worse at 1 in the morning than 1 in the afternoon.

It is also possible that late at night you discover that you don't have the over-the-counter medications you need to help relieve your symptoms. Most pharmacies are not open at this time and those that are may be miles away. You then chide yourself for not being properly prepared to manage a night illness.

So be aware that the emotional responses to being sick at night are usually more intense than being sick during the day. And, make certain that your medicine cabinet is filled with the proper medications that will get you safely through the night.

Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of the National Birth Defects Center, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.