Immune system is just a shield that protects your body against illness and diseases. It is a complex biological system comprises of skin, WBCs, spleen, bone marrow, and thymus. According to National Institute of science, when all the component of the immune system works the way they should, it protects you from harmful pathogens.
You can think of your immune system as an orchestra, for the best performance, you need every member of orchestra and instrument to perform at its best. Same is the case with Immune system, to protect body from harmful agents all components must play their part accordingly.
The best way to ensure that is by practicing healthy habits every day. To help you Boost your Immunity we have mentioned a few of them below:
Follow a Healthy Diet
Food is the main source of nutrition in our body- in particular, plant-based food like fruits, vegetables, spices, and herbs are essential to keep the Immune system healthy. According to specialists, plant-based foods like clove, cumin, etc contain antiviral and antimicrobial properties, help to fight off various infections.
Furthermore, food that contains minerals like Zinc, Folate, Iron, Selenium, and vitamins A, C, E, B6 & B12, helps to boost yours immunity. According to studies, deficiency of vitamin C in our body increases the risk of infection.
Our bodies do not produce this vitamin of their own so we have to get it through food like kiwi and other citrus fruits.
Keep Stress Under Control
When we are stressed, the ability of our immune system to fight with pathogens reduced. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for suppressing the effectiveness of Immune system.
Moreover, stress can have indirect effects on Immune system as the person with stress may use unhealthy means like drinking and smoking to cope up with stress. It becomes very important for the person to keep stress under control by trying various resources like:
- Spending time with friends and family
- Reduce caffeine intake
- Exercising
- Consider counseling
- Get enough sleep
Good Quality of Sleep
As our body heals and regenerates while sleeping it is important to get adequate amount of sleep. When we sleep our body produces immune cells like T cells, cytokines, and interleukin 12 that significantly boost our immune system.
Failure to get enough sleep won’t perform this process and make your body weak, hence allowing invaders to harm your body.
According to the national sleep foundation, every adult must get at least 7 hours on sleep per day. To sleep properly, one must turn off electronics at least 2 hours before bed and avoid reading toxic book or conversation.
Regular Exercise
Performing exercise on regular basis reduces the chances of developing chronic diseases like obesity, heart attack, and type 2 diabetes. Exercising releases the endorphins hormone that reduces the pain and develops a feeling of pleasure.
According to Centers for Diseases Control & Prevention, an adult must be getting atleast 150 min of moderate exercise or 75 min of intense exercise per week.
It’s recommended to perform exercise outside in an open place. Spending time in nature supports mood, reduces inflammation, lowers blood pressure, and boosts immune system.
Moderate Drinking
Drinking a high amount of alcohol can affect your health negatively, which includes lowering your immune system as well. Doctors say consuming high quantity of alcohol our body stays busy detoxifying our system ignoring the normal immune system functions.
According to studies published in journal alcohol research 2015, consuming high levels of alcohol weakens our body’s ability to fight with infections. Such people are likely to suffer from pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, liver disease, and certain cancers.
National Institute of health recommends two drinks and one drink per day for men and women respectively.
Don’t Smoke Cigarettes
Like alcohol, smoking also harms your immune system. Chemicals such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and nicotine released by cigarette smoke defy the growth of immune system. Smoking is extremely harmful in viral and bacterial infections, post-surgical infections, and rheumatoid arthritis.
If you are a smoker and want to quit this habit, there are various resources available including. Counseling, nicotine replacement products, non-nicotine medications, and behavioral therapy.
Conclusion
While it is not possible to eradicate getting sick completely, maintaining healthy immune system can give us a little edge. Following the above-mentioned tips can help you boost your immunity and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You may find it difficult to implement all these changes, but taking one step at a time would make it easy for you to lead a healthy life.