6 good habits to strengthen your immune system
Strengthen your immunity with good habits
With the rise in ever-changing and unpredictable threats associated with infections, more and more people are looking for effective ways to boost their immunity. The most effective way to strengthen your immunity is to develop and practice a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating good habits into your daily routine can make all the difference between having a strong or weak immune response. Read on for good habits that can help you to boost your immunity!
Take it easy
Constant stress can lead to a weakened immune system, according to science.1 Many people often underestimate the impact that emotions and feelings can have on our overall wellbeing. The fact remains, however, that along with nutrition and sleep, psychological stress is a key factor linked with the state of your immunity.2 This is exemplified through times in our life when we fall sick after an intense emotional experience, or a prolonged taxing project. That’s because stress makes us more susceptible to a weakened immune system.
Take up exercising
It is a well-established fact that regular physical activity can help to boost your immunity and help you avoid infections.3 If you are already an active person, exercising even more won’t do much for your immunity. But if you aren’t very active, start working out, jogging or even walking several times a week. As time progresses, your immunity will slowly develop in strength and help you to fight off infections. So, if you want your body to be better at fighting and resisting infections – work it!
Take medication only as prescribed by your doctor
Let’s start off by saying that medication which can boost your immune system do exist. At the same time, certain medications can significantly weaken your immune system, such as antibiotics. Unfortunately, in certain circumstances, they are impossible to avoid. Medications such as antibiotics should only be taken as prescribed by your doctor and it’s important to stick to the recommended treatment dosage and duration.
Eat a healthy diet
Nutrition strongly affects your body’s immune response2, so make a habit of eating healthy, unprocessed and fresh food, and make fruits and vegetables a part of your daily meals. Be mindful that balancing your alcohol and sugar consumption is equally important in maintaining immune health. Excessive sugar intake can compromise your immunity, while a high alcohol consumption level can make it more difficult for your body to fight various infections. It is important to remember that healthy foods give your body the energy and micronutrients it needs to fight infections and viruses. And since you’re eating healthy foods, why not take up healthy cooking while you’re at it?
Supplement with vitamins and minerals
It is important to note that stress, physical hardships and challenging work can exhaust your body and put your immunity under strain. Situations like these call for a little additional help in the form of essential vitamins and minerals. The best way to ensure a sufficient intake is by eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. However, if you think you might not be getting enough micronutrients, consider taking a supplement that helps to strengthen your immunity with a boost of vitamins and minerals.
Stay positive
Think positive, and your immunity will in turn positively help fight off any potential infections. We kid you not! Boosting your immunity has more to do with your intuition than you know (and we all know that positive people can achieve more!). It is the same with good habits that you develop to strengthen your immune system. As a matter of fact, positive thinking can also promote positive changes in other areas of your life as well – so time to change your mindset!
Now that you know how to strengthen your immunity, incorporate these six simple habits into your lifestyle to maintain a healthy immune system.
References
- SC Segerstrom, GE Miller, Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361287/
- The role of nutrition in the immune system part I of II. Sight and Life. Accessed August 2022. Available at: https://sightandlife.org/blog/most-recent-blog/nutrition-immunity/
- How to prevent infections. Harvard Medical School, 2016. (Accessed 10/02/2020, at https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-prevent-infections.)
Other sources:
- https://www.thehealthy.com/habits/boost-immune-system/
- https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2020/05/18/habits-that-help-boost-immunity/
- https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/boost-your-immune-system/
- https://symptoms.webmd.com/cold-flu-map/keep-immune-system-healthy
- https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/10-immune-system-busters-boosters#1
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/can-alcohol-hurt-your-immune-system-during-covid-19-outbreak