Your lifestyle affects how well your immune system can protect you from germs, viruses and illness. Fortunately for you, there are a number of things you can do to improve your immune system and avoid getting sick in the first place.
But First, Understand How Immune System Actually Works: The immune word is derived from the French word “immunis” which means “untouched”. This immune system of your body protects from harmful entities from an environment like germs, viruses or bacteria. It strives in as soon as these pathogens enter your body. The immune system is formed with different kinds of cells and tissues and each have their own function. As long as the body’s defense system is running smoothly, we never notice that our immune system is fighting off the pathogens, and protecting our bodies. But, unfortunately, our immune system cannot always win over all the pathogens and due to this, we fall ill.
Get Enough Sleep: Deep sleep energizes the immune system. According to National Institute of Health, the average adult needs 7 hour sleep to energize the immune system. Although some people need as few as 5 hour, but quality good night sleep. And to ensure you’re getting quality sleep, avoid caffeinated drinks and alcohol which interferes with REM and deeper stages of quality sleep which leads for a light sleep.
Manage Stress: Between hectic schedules, marital problems and work deadlines, keeping stress out is impossible. But, how you react to stress has great impact on overall health. Ignoring problems under the rug instead of solving them can turn short-term stress to chronic stress due to which causes health problem. According to National Institute of Health, hormones which hang around during this level of stress can cause risk of obesity, heart disease and various other health problems. So find ways to de-stress yourself whether by doing yoga, exercises or taking a relaxing bath.
Using Herbs and Supplements to Boost Your Health: Some herbs help to strengthen and improve your immune system, although there is no scientific evidence to support this statement. Aloe Vera for example, helps to heal skin properties and works well for skin infections. There are numerous pro-biotic drinks and immunity boosters that top us up with friendly bacteria. These friendly bacteria help to increase our ability to defend against the pathogens we’re exposed to.
Strengthening Your Immune System: The stronger your body’s immune system is, the more it can resist your body from diseases. The Immunity system requires balance and harmony to function well. Number of researchers discovering new effects of diet, stress, medication and several other factors on immune response. Your immune system works well when your body is in optimal condition.
These are some basic quick tips you can follow for improvement of the immune system.
Cut back on saturated fats.
Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products.
Keep you blood pressure in check.
Get enough sleep.
Decrease your alcohol intake.
Effects of Foods on Immune System: The intestines are the key element in fighting off the pathogens, so it’s logical that food can naturally increase your immunity naturally. People with unhealthy diet are more likely to catch infectious diseases than those who eat healthy and varied diet. If certain nutrients are lacking from your body, for instance, just because you don’t like vegetables so you prefer to eat more bread or whole grain bread, in this case you can take vitamin supplements to make sure you maintain the nutritional balance in your body which is good for your immune system and other functions of your body.
Bonus Tip: When you can’t eat fresh, frozen is also fine. Depending on where you live or what year it is, you can’t always find high quality fresh produce, so it’s ok to eat frozen occasionally. Manufacturers freeze fresh fruits and vegetables at peak ripeness meaning they make sure to pack similar nutritional value as their fresh counterparts. And, it’s better to choose frozen foods than those which have added sugar and other things.