“Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough quality sleep are more prone to getting sick after exposure to viruses.”
Maintain a Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is key to a strong immune system. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats has been correlated with keeping your immune system and your body at optimal health.
In addition to providing your immune system the energy it needs, a healthy diet can help ensure you’re getting sufficient amounts of micro-nutrients that play a role in maintaining your immune system, including:
– Vitamin B6: found in chicken, salmon, tuna, bananas, green vegetables and potatoes
– Vitamin C: found in citrus fruits, including oranges and strawberries, as well as tomatoes, broccoli and spinach
– Vitamin E: found in almonds, sunflower and safflower oil, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and spinach
Try to eat the recommended amount of each of these immunity boosting vitamins every day to keep your body well fed and well protected.
Exercise Regularly
Physical activity is an important part of being healthy and supporting a healthy immune system. One way exercise may improve immune function is by boosting your body’s overall circulation. This makes it easier for immune cells and other infection-fighting molecules to travel throughout your body.
In fact, studies have shown that engaging in as little as 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day helps stimulate your immune system and is great for your body’s general health.
Hydration
Water plays a very important role in YOUR body including supporting your immune system. A fluid in your circulatory system called lymph, which carries important infection-fighting immune cells around your body, is largely made up of water. Being dehydrated slows down the movement of lymph, sometimes leading to an impaired immune system.
The Institute of Medicine recommends that men get about 3.7 liters of fluid per day and that women get about 2.7 liters of fluid per day. With this in mind, the amount of water you should aim to drink per day looks like:
– 13 cups of water for men
– 9 cups of water for women
To help boost your immunity, be sure you’re replacing the water you lose with water you can use.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep certainly plays in important role in supporting your immune system. For instance, important infection-fighting molecules are created while you sleep.
Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough quality sleep are more prone to getting sick after exposure to viruses. To give your immune system the best chance to fight off infection and illness, it’s important to know how much sleep you should be getting every night, as well as the steps to take if your sleep is suffering.
If you are suffering from problems sleeping be sure to ask your doctor and local pharmacist which sleep supplements they may recommend or what steps you can take to get back to a great night’s sleep. Quality sleep is key in ensuring the immune system can do its job, and improving your sleep quality may not only boost your immunity, but may help with a general increase in quality of life!
Minimize Stress
Whether it comes on quick or builds over time, it’s important to understand how stress effects your health – including the impact it has on your immune system. During periods of stress, particularly chronic stress; that is frequent and long lasting- your body responds by initiating a stress response. This stress response, in turn, suppresses your immune system- increasing your cortisol levels and your chance of infection or illness.
Stress is different for everyone, and how we relieve it is, too. Given the effect it can have on your health, it’s implant to know how to identify stress. Whether it’s deep breathing, meditation, prayer or exercise, you should get familiar with the activities that help you reduce stress. These immunity boosting activities can help you obtain both better mental health and a better immune system.
