In recent times of pandemic, it has been an absolute necessity to Boost your Immune System. The internet has been flooded with so much information all around that it has left you confused about what exactly you should be doing to Boost your Immune System. So here is the end of all the confusion & 5 simple & effective ways that you can adapt.
Adding exercise to your daily routine
Daily exercise may improve immune function by boosting your overall circulation, thus helping your immune cells to travel more easily throughout your body.
Adequate Sleep
Sleep is when our body repairs itself. When we get our adequate 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every day, the body produces enough WBC & cytokines to fight against any bacteria or viruses by developing antibodies. Good sleep also enhances antigenic memory of the body which helps our body in recognizing a virus entering our body & fights against it effectively.
Thus good sleep plays a great part to boost your immune system.
Have your Vitamins
Vitamins & Minerals play a very important role to boost your immune system. Especially vitamins for the immune system like Vit. A Vit. B6, Vit. C, Vit. D and minerals like Copper & Zinc. Vitamins play an important role in Innate (immunity passed on to us by our mother when we were born) as well as Adaptive (immunity that our body develops over time by getting exposed to certain viruses & bacterias) immune responses.
Several immune-boosting foods can help us keep our immunity strong.
As we know Vit. C is an important vitamin for the immune system, we should include citrus fruits such as lemons & oranges as they are the best immunity boosting foods. We can also get a good amount of Vit. C from bell peppers, broccoli, and spinach to our diet as they are great immune-boosting foods. However, we should always keep in mind how we take them. Vit. C is a water-soluble as well as temperature-sensitive vitamin, so having lemon squeezed in warm/hot water or cooking vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, and others on a high flame for a longer period will result in severe loss of Vit. C and retains only a small amount of it. So always make sure to cook the immune-boosting foods correctly and intake vitamins for the immune system as well. We can also add supplements to fulfill our daily requirements of Vit C.
Another mineral of similar importance is Zinc. Zinc is an essential micronutrient and its acute deficiency depresses both innate and adaptive immune responses while its chronic deficiency increases the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, influencing the outcome of a large number of inflammatory diseases.
We can add meat, eggs & nuts to the list of immune-boosting foods as they contain good amounts of Zinc. Thus it is essential to consume minerals and vitamins for the immune system.
Say No to Alcohol
If you have been consuming alcohol regularly then you should reduce its frequency & quantity or consider quitting entirely. Alcohol compromises the body’s immune system and increases the risk of adverse health effects. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption can damage the lungs and gut, and impair the immune cells. Alcohol may also increase acid production in your stomach, leading to heartburn and acid reflux which disturbs our gut health. It also causes dehydration in the body which also plays an important factor in affecting our Immunity. So, to boost your immune system try not to consume alcohol.
Stop smoking
Smoking is another habit you should consider quitting if you wish to keep your immune system strong. Smoking can compromise your immune system by suppressing its effectiveness in attacking viruses and bacterias as well as increasing the risks for autoimmune diseases. Cigarettes contain more than 7000 chemicals that interfere with our immune systems. Our body is not designed to process chemicals, so when we smoke regularly and expose ourselves to chemicals, it not only affects our lungs but also our immune system. Especially in recent times of pandemic where Covid-19 virus is attacking our lungs, it is only logical to avoid smoking as much as we can. Try to quit smoking if you want to boost your immune system.
Take care of your Gut
This cannot be stressed enough. You can be taking all sorts of vitamins and minerals from your food & supplements to boost your immune system but if your gut is not healthy, there is a great chance that all the vitamins & minerals you are taking are not absorbing into your body and helping your immune system. Our gut has over 500 species of microbes present in it. It also plays a major role in our immunity. The amount of good bacteria and bad bacteria in our gut affects our immune system. To keep your gut healthy, avoid eating Junk food and taking any unnecessary medication, including fiber and probiotics to help boost your immune system.
Manage your stress levels
Stress is now an unavoidable part of our lives. While some sort of stress is motivating that helps us rise to the occasion. At other times, it’s simply overwhelming. When we are under stress, our body releases cortisol in our blood. When we are under stress for a longer period greater amounts of cortisol are released which decreases the body’s lymphocytes, the white blood cells that help fight off infection. People with lower lymphocyte levels are at more risk of viruses.
So you should try to manage your stress levels as much as you can to Boost your Immune System by
- Meditation: 10-15 minutes of meditation daily can help reduce your stress levels significantly.
- Yoga: Practicing yoga can calm our nervous system and also can boost our immune system.
So to conclude, you can make these 7 small lifestyle changes to boost your immune system. These are the best immune booster tricks one must adapt. Make these habits a part of your routine & you can enable your body to fight against various viruses & bacterias and prevent many diseases as well. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so we should not neglect our health & take good care of ourselves by making it a priority.
