Tips for How To Strengthen the Immune System so You Miss Out Less on Work and Life
In recent years, the topic of not getting sick has been fresh on everybody’s mind. Getting sick isn’t fun and can interfere with your work and social life. With the colder months looming ahead, your possibility of coming down with something is greater. Knowing how to strengthen the immune system is one of your best defenses against pesky viruses.
Your immune system is a complex network of bodily tissues, cells, organs, and proteins that detect foreign agents in your body. When a virus or pathogen enters your bloodstream, your immune system’s job is to fight it off. It does this by attacking the foreign pathogen to eliminate it from your body.
The stronger your immune system is, the better it can protect you from getting sick. If you get sick often, it’s because your immune system is weak. Fortunately, there are things you can do for boosting immune system strength.
Keep reading to learn more about how to strengthen the immune system to fight off sick days.
Get More Sleep
One of the best tips for how to strengthen the immune system is to catch more Zzzs’. Sleep plays an important role not only in your beauty routine (no one likes dark circles under their eyes!) but in your physical and mental health as well. Your body does most of its repair work while you sleep. When you’re awake, your body must provide you with enough energy to move, talk, think, etc., leaving less time for other bodily systems, like your immune system.
When you sleep, your body can focus more energy on fighting off viruses and pathogens that make you sick. Lack of sleep can have the opposite effect on boosting immune system strength. Practice healthy sleep habits like turning off all smart devices and settling in for bed earlier. If you have trouble sleeping, consider purchasing blackout curtains, listening to white noise, or try a melatonin supplement to help improve your sleep quality.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of essential vitamins and minerals. Your immune system needs these nutrients to function properly. Certain nutrients help with boosting immune system health more than others. Some of these vitamins and minerals include vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. Eating more fruits and vegetables rich in these essential nutrients is one way how to strengthen the immune system.
Your body absorbs the nutrients from the foods you eat and uses those nutrients to keep you healthy. When you feed your body the right nutrients, it repays you by keeping you healthy. If you struggle to get enough fruits and veggies daily, consider taking a multivitamin to supplement your diet.
Exercise More Frequently
The key to how to strengthen the immune system may be as simple as going for a brisk walk. Research shows that moderate intensity physical activity can strengthen your immune system by stimulating immune cells, flushing out pathogens and viruses from your bloodstream, and decreasing your risk of other factors that lead to low immunity. Boosting immune system strength through exercise is great for your overall health.
However, it’s important to note that moderate to vigorous intensity exercise for no longer than an hour has the most immune boosting benefits. Participating in strenuous exercise for longer than an hour may actually weaken your immune system. For optimal boosting immune system benefits, aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a few times a week or more.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol consumption is fine in moderation but drinking too much, too frequently can wreak havoc on your health. Besides giving you a nasty headache the morning after a drinking binge, alcohol damages immune cells throughout your body. This makes it more difficult for your immune system to fight off illness.
Additionally, too much alcohol can impair sleep, worsen depression, anxiety, and stress, and increase inflammation. All of which can weaken your immune system. Avoiding alcohol is one of the least popular methods for how strengthening the immune system. But is your daily happy hour session really worth being in bed with the flu for two weeks?
Avoiding Stress
The link between mind and body is considered strong, even in the modern age. It is tricky to measure stress cause it is a subjective impression of how “stressed am I?” But scientists measure things that reflect stress like; the number of times the heart beats each moment, skin conductance, etc. When people are stressed, the “stress hormone” comes into action- Cortisol, which effecting our metabolism of sugars, blood pressure regulation, the release of insulin to balance the blood sugar level, and protection against infections. These factors affect our immunity system and can cause critical damage. To relax you can practice, mindfulness, yoga, pilates, and Workout,
The Takeaway
Knowing how to strengthen the immune system is important for self-care. No one wants to be ill but fortunately, having a strong immune system reduces your risk of getting sick. The key to boosting immune system health is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Take care of yourself now and you will thank yourself in the future.
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