How can we improve our immune system? On its own, your immune system does a really awe-inspiring job for your body. Immunity is the capability of resisting harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. But if you have low immunity, it’s easy for your immune system to fail this job; germs will successfully invade your body and the sooner you know it, you’ll be blowing your nose and you’ll get sick.
Now that we are in a pandemic, many people are trying every single way to boost their immune system to get protected from the new virus COVID-19. Some people might even go as far as to buy a sketchy pill known to “cure all illnesses and make you immune to practically anything” or drink some medicine that they found from some person in a dark alley, when in reality, none of these things actually work. But don’t be fooled! There are many other ways to help boost your immune system and give it what it needs to fight off an infection or illness, and most of them are easier than you think. Here we go!
Healthy ways to strengthen our immunity:
All we’ll look at is about having a healthy lifestyle. Every part of your body depends on a lifestyle that is in good condition.
Maintain a healthy diet
Having a healthy diet is the key to a strong immune system. Your immune system needs energy to do its job, but there are specific micronutrients it needs that play a very important role in maintaining your immune system, such as:
- Vitamin C: This vitamin is found in citrus fruits. Citrus fruits often taste sour. Some of these include oranges (AKA the king of Vitamin C), limes and lemons. It is also found in kiwifruit, berries, blackcurrants and sprouts (turns out Mom was right when she said eat your fruits and veggies!).
- Vitamin B6: You can find this vitamin in most proteins, but they are also found in nuts. You can even encounter this vitamin in fruits and vegetables. Some are chicken, salmon, tuna, bananas, tofu, sweet potatoes, avocados and pistachios.
WARNING: Too much Vitamin B6 taken from supplements can lead to nerve damage in the arms and legs.
- Vitamin E: Vitamin E is found in almonds, sunflower and safflower oil, sunflower seeds, nuts, peanut butter (sorry, but we’re not talking about PB and J sandwiches here) and spinach. It is found most in nuts and seeds, but some vegetables can contain it – such as spinach.
Since experts believe that your body absorbs vitamins more efficiently from dietary sources rather than supplements, the best way to support your immune system is by maintaining a balanced diet. Eating too many sugars and oils won’t do your immune system any good. You also need to follow the food pyramid’s code and eat sensible amounts of everything – not too much and not too little!
Exercise regularly
This one may seem like an issue because let’s face it: not many people have been getting the motivation to get up and move around ever since quarantine. But physical activity is very important as it’s not just about building up muscles and helping yourself de-stress, it’s also one of the most important steps of being healthy and supporting a healthy immune system.
A way exercise can improve immune function is by boosting your overall circulation and how the way your blood travels, making it easier for your immune cells to travel throughout your body. Studies have shown that only 30 minutes of exercise every day helps stimulate your immune system. It can be as easy from taking a jog outside to doing a yoga session.
Get plenty of sleep
Some of us definitely have this one in the bag – but having the correct amount of sleep can really boost your immune system. It does seem like sleeping is a dull and inactive moment, but when you’re asleep there are plenty of jobs happening in your body, for instance, important infection fighting-molecules are created while you are asleep. People who get less sleep increase the rate of getting themselves sick, since they leave their bodies more exposed to many viruses like your common cold and the flu.To get yourself enough sleep, it is helpful to make a sleep schedule to track your everyday sleep hours. The average undisturbed sleeping hours an adult should have is 7 to 9, whilst children above the age of 5 can have 8 to 11 sleeping hours.
Don’t dehydrate
Don’t underestimate the benefits of water, and most importantly, never dehydrate! Water plays many vital roles in your body, including supporting your immune system and immunity. Even if you aren’t exercising or sweating, you still constantly lose water through breathing. To support your immune system, make sure you’re replacing the water you lose with water you can use – around 2 litres per day.
All in all, water is by far the most important substance on Earth. Without it, we cannot survive and without it, no life would exist, so always hydrate!
Avoid stress
Stress and tension all come when you’re feeling frustrated, angry or even afraid. It’s always important to know the effects of your feelings and mentality towards your physical health, and when it comes to stress it’s no exception. During long-lasting hours of stress your body starts to create a stress response. Stress responses in your immune system can completely suppress your immune system, which makes you more vulnerable to diseases.
Stress comes in different forms to different people, and the way people relieve stress differs as well, but everyone can identify their stress and get familiar with the activities that reduce their tension, whether it is prayer, meditation, exercise or just some plain family time.
Be POSITIVE!
With this pandemic, many people have been thinking of this period as a time of doom and gloom and many have been having depressing thoughts and giving up hope that this pandemic will end. This can actually lower your immune system. Therefore, it is essential to cultivate positive emotions. Studies have shown that doing anything that will help you relax or make you feel happy will boost your immune system. You can do things like listening to music that has an upbeat rhythm, baking sweet treats (sorry, but this doesn’t mean you can overload on sugars), playing video games with your family or best pals, writing about things that you are grateful for, always looking on the bright side and smiling (it doesn’t have to be at anyone, you can just get a mirror and smile at your reflection).
And there you have it! 5 guaranteed, 100% true ways you can boost your immune system! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to stay safe!
