Naturally Support Your Immune System
Oct 20th 2021
Your immune system is incredibly complex.1 It has to be strong enough and sophisticated enough to fight off a variety of illnesses and infections, but not so strong that it overreacts unnecessarily — causing allergies and other autoimmune disorders to develop.
But while boosting your immune system may sound like a no-brainer, it is actually much harder to accomplish than you might think — and for good reason. To operate in such a delicate balance, your immune system is tightly controlled by a variety of inputs. Nevertheless, there are everyday lifestyle habits you can focus on to naturally help give your immune system what it needs to fight off an infection or illness.
We have listed some effective and efficient ways for you!
1. Maintain a Healthy and Balanced Diet
The nutrients you get from food — in particular, plant-based foods like vegetables, herbs, and spices — are essential to keeping your immune system functioning properly. Many plant-based foods also have antiviral and antimicrobial properties, which help us fight off infection.2
Studies show that a person’s diet influences their immune system, like all other aspects of health. For example, nutrition can affect the microbiome, gut barrier function, inflammatory processes, and white blood cell function, all of which impact immune function.3
2. Enough Sleep Really Matters
Your body heals and regenerates while you sleep, making adequate sleep critical for a healthy immune response. Sleep is a time when your body produces and distributes key immune cells like cytokines (a type of protein that can either fight or promote inflammation), T cells (a type of white blood cell that regulates immune response), and interleukin 12 (a pro-inflammatory cytokine).4
Thus, it is an important period of bodily rest, and studies indicate that sleep plays a crucial role in the robustness of our immune system. It is recommended that all adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night to optimize their health.5 To ensure you get quality sleep, prioritize good sleep hygiene:6
- Turn off the electronics at least two to three hours before bed.
- Avoid violent or stressful books or conversations.
- Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
- Be consistent.
3. Get Sweaty
Exercise increases the release of endorphins (a group of hormones that reduce pain and create feelings of pleasure) making it a great way to manage stress. Since stress negatively impacts our immune system, this is another way exercise can improve immune response.7
Regular exercise also lowers your risk of developing chronic diseases (like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease), as well as viral and bacterial infections.8 So, getting sweaty by having an exercise routine really helps to support your immune system!
4. Drink Alcohol Moderately
Drinking high amounts of alcohol is associated with a range of negative health effects, including lowered immune function. When you drink high amounts of alcohol, your body is too busy trying to detoxify your system to bother with normal immune system function. The worst effects of excessive alcohol consumption are a greater likelihood of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, alcoholic liver disease, and certain cancers.9
BOTTOMLINE:
Taking good care of your body by feeding it certain foods and do some healthy activities may help keep your immune system strong. If you’re looking for ways to prevent colds, the flu, and other infections, your first step should be a visit to your local grocery store. Plan your meals and make sure you have the essential nutrients your body needs in your diet.
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REFERENCES:
1https://www.aber.ac.uk/~dcswww/ISYS/immune_system.html
3https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146186/
4https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31289370/
5https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need