How to Boost our Body’s Immunity
Our immune system is the primary defense towards any illness-causing microorganisms in our bodies. However, from time to time, it might get weak, leaving us susceptible to illnesses. Therefore, optimal health for our bodies narrows down to the strength of our immune system. Taking steps to boost immunity is a sure way of improving your health. Our lifestyles, including what we intake or do, can either destroy or boost our immune system. Here are some of the popular ways to boost our immunity.
Adopting Healthy Eating Habits
Our immune system and gut have quite a symbiotic relationship. What we ingest translates directly to the strength of our immunity, having a healthy diet increase the body’s ability to fight off illnesses. Intake of a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats is one sure way to increase one’s immunity. Also called the Mediterranean diet, this diet offers great nutritional value, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are known to reduce inflammations. The use of fermented foods such as natto, sauerkraut, and yogurt, is also encouraged to boost immunity. Such foods contain probiotics which help our immune cells differentiate the healthy cells and the harmful microorganisms in our bodies.
Exercising Regularly
For a long time, regular exercise has been advocated as one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. Just like adopting a healthy diet, regular exercising is key to boosting one’s immunity. Exercising contributes directly to a great circulation system that translates to the better movement of antibodies and white blood cells. Following this, one’s body can easily detect and fight the harmful microorganisms more efficiently. Other benefits of having regular exercise include a lower plod pressure, weight loss, and improved cardiovascular health, hence resulting in overall improved health.
Getting Adequate Sleep
During sleep, our bodies take time to regenerate and also heal. Notably, our bodies produce and distribute crucial immune cells, including cytokines, T cells, and interleukin 12. Cytokines refer to a protein type responsible for promoting or fighting inflammation, while interleukin 12 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine. On the other hand, T cells are a type of white blood cell that regulates the body’s immune response. Lack of enough sleep might hamper the body’s ability to produce and distribute the above crucial immune cells. Therefore, experts have found adequate sleep as an important pillar in ensuring our bodies have a reliable immune system response for better health.
Moderation of Alcohol Intake
Excessive alcohol intake is linked to a myriad of health hazards, including a weakened immune system. When we ingest a lot of alcohol, or bodies take substantial effort and time to detoxify the body, a process that normally affects the body’s immune negatively. Studies have also depicted that high alcohol level consumptions have a significant impact on reducing the body’s recovery time. Following this, people who consume lots of alcohol are more prone to acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and liver problems, amongst other illnesses. Health experts recommend limiting our alcohol consumption to a drink or two per day.
Having Control of Our Stress Levels
Our mental health has direct input in the determination of the strength of our immune system. Human beings under chronic stress and anxiety have been attributed to higher stress hormones. Studies show that stress hormones, such as cortisol, suppress the body’s immune system. Following this, the health of highly stressed people remains at stake, having them more susceptible to illnesses such as a common cold. While we cannot avoid stress in our lives, experts have advised on adopting pro strategies for stress management. Some of the notable ways include meditation, yoga, exercising, and any other mindfulness practices.
Hydrate Your Body
Most of us can already tell that water doesn’t protect us from any illness-causing microorganisms. However, preventing dehydration by taking adequate amounts of water is crucial to our health. Dehydration has been associated with headaches, poor physical performance, and hindered kidney and heart functioning. The result of all these is a weakened immunity hence increased susceptibility to illnesses. It is therefore recommended that one intake adequate water daily, which is about two liters. Notably, water beats any other fluid, thanks to no calories, sugar, or additives.
Use Supplements Strategically
While some people advise on supplements intake for treating illnesses, the assertions remain unfounded and untrue. However, studies have shown that supplements have an impact on strengthening our immune system. The impacts of the supplements in boosting immunity are especially notable, especially for people who have a deficiency of the various supplements. For example, vitamin D deficiency increases one’s chance of contracting illnesses; hence vitamin D supplements help counteract the effect. On the contrary, taking vitamin D supplements when one has adequate levels, doesn’t offer any significant benefits. Therefore, experts advise on the strategic use of supplements, that is, the use of supplements in the deficiency of various minerals and vitamins.
Other notable ways of boosting one’s immunity include practicing good hygiene, avoiding smoking, and keeping symptoms of chronic diseases under control.
Conclusion
Attaining the goal of a strengthened immune system lies at the lifestyle choices we make in our daily lives. With little healthy tweaks in our daily lives trashing the unhealthy habits, we all can help our bodies boost immunity for better health. Notably, most of the tips above help reduce toxicity in the body, while others provide the essential nutrients our bodies need for stronger immunity. Lifestyle changes can be tough to embrace initially, but through persistence, one can reap the best of what they have to offer. Therefore, push yourselves through the above lifestyle changes to boost your immunity for better health.