What 2020 has taught us about the importance of a healthy immune system is exigent. A nasty microbe took over the entire world, and we lost thousands of lives. And with time, most people have realized that strengthening your immune system is easier said than done. While several lifestyle changes construct a new comfort zone for you, your body also has to fight off illnesses sometimes to gain the strength to fight harmful disease-causing organisms.
We are here to tip you off with some natural immunity-boosting techniques. Nourish your body’s natural defenses with the following tips.
Enough Sleep
Do you know that your mind never sleeps? Then why does it keep reminding us to shut down when we are awake for more than 15 hours a day? It is because sleep is essential for our physical health more than it is for our mental health.
Poor sleep quality has a huge impact on our immune system. A study with 164 healthy adults concluded that people sleeping less than 6 hours every night have a higher susceptibility to common pathogens.
Getting adequate sleep strengthens your immune system naturally. Ever wondered why sometimes sleeping more helps your immune system to better guard against an illness? Aim to sleep more than 7 hours each night if you are an adult and don’t wake your teens before 8 hours of deep sleep.
Consume Whole Plant Foods
Anything rich in antioxidants and nutrients including, but not limited to vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, gives you an upper hand against disease-causing organisms.
Our body has unstable compounds like free radicals that cause inflammation when the body starts building them at high levels. Chronic inflammation can indicate problems such as heart disease, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, and more. Antioxidants present in whole plant foods fight free radicals to decrease inflammation.
Moreover, these fiber-rich foods satisfy your gut microbiome and prevent harmful pathogens from entering your body. Nutrients like Vitamin C present in fruits and vegetables help you easily fight problems like the common cold.
Consume Healthy Fats
Do you know that the type of fat consumption impacts your body’s response to pathogens? Eating healthy fats such as those found in salmon or olive oil decreases inflammation. Since our immune system responds typically with low-level inflammation to injury or stress, anti-inflammatory properties of healthy fats prevent it from turning into chronic inflammation. Moreover, healthy fats also decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in your body. Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids to keep your immune system strong.
Limit Your Sugar Consumption
Having a sweet tooth is not a license to forget your health and risk getting sick. Multiple studies have found refined carbs and added sugars to be contributing factors in overweight and obesity. If you can curb your sugar intake, you can aid in weight loss and decrease inflammation. Given that problems such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart issues eventually suppress your immune system, it’s important to limit added sugars to boost immunity.
Moderate Exercising & Hydration
As much as a prolonged exercise session can wear you down, moderate exercise can bolster immunity. Studies have shown that even a single session of light physical workouts can boost vaccine effectiveness in people with failed immune systems. Hence, this is how to boost your immune system. Activities such as stable bicycling, brisk walking, swimming, light hiking, and jogging are part of moderate exercise routines.
Similarly, water is important for your mood, digestion, focus, performance, heart, kidney, and the list goes on. Practice a habit of performing moderate exercises and always keep yourself hydrated.
Conclusion
Here we conclude some practical ways to boost your immune system. Diseases like COVID can be easily dealt with a strong immune system. For more such blogs on general health, follow us on our social media channels now.
