How To Strengthen Your Immune System?

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In this pandemic, your health, which includes your immune system is your top priority. You should strengthen it not just for you but for your loved ones as well.

Strengthening your immune system is a long process. You can’t just have a strong immunity to diseases in a small time frame and it takes a lot of patience, discipline, will, and determination.

However, starting now can make a difference; not just today but also in the future. So, here are some ways to make your immune system stronger:

Eat Rainbows

No, we are not talking about the unicorn frappe. We are talking about adding colors to your diet, which means focusing on plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Unstable compounds called free radicals are dangerous — they can cause inflammation and cell obstruction, which in result weakened the immune system. Antioxidants present in plant foods battle them out.

These foods are rich in fiber, which flushes out toxins in the body. Thus, resulting in a healthier flow of your body system. The fiber also feeds the gut microbiome or the community of healthy bacteria in your guts.

Read: Thrifty Dishes For This Quarantine Period

Eat Fat, Sana Oil

Are you happy seeing fat? However, it’s not lechon or balat ng manok. We are talking about healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, and fish oil.

Such oils are proven anti-inflammatory that may help your body fight off disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Also, it’s been known to decrease the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Now we know why people, who are under a strict ketogenic diet, used to great weight loss.

Sleep Better

Sleep and immunity are buddies. In fact, poor sleeping patterns are linked to higher chances of having a disease. In a study conducted by PubMed, people who slept less than six hours every night have greater chances of catching a cold compare to those who sleep more than six hours every night.

Now, here’s the twist – is sleeping at night same as sleeping during the day? For the night owls, we are sorry to say: they aren’t. Actually, there are changes in body activity when you sleep more during the day than regularly.

A study, which was published at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, British researchers asked 22 young and healthy individuals to participate in a sleep experiment. They stayed in a dimly-lit lab for three days.

On the first day, the researchers disrupted the participant’s sleep at regular intervals to reset their body clock and on the second and third day, the volunteers ate and slept on a 28-hour schedule. The longest period of sleep was from noon until before dinner.

In all three days, the researchers drew blood from the participants.

It turned out that during the first day, about 6.4% of the genes were in sync with the body circadian rhythm. However, during the second and third day, the genes that were in sync with the body drastically dropped to 1 percent.

This means that sleep disruptions can ultimately impact about a third of a person’s genes.

Exercise More

It’s a no-brainer that exercise can give your immune system a boost. According to Healthline, exercise promotes healthy turnover of immune cells, promotes good blood flow, and improves body functions.

Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which is associated with better moods. Thus, having a sound mind and body. It’s also been proven to reverse the negative effect of oxidative stress, which is a result of normal cellular function.

Drink Water

Hydration won’t necessarily fight germs. However, it will improve your overall health.

According to Korey Stringer Institute,  dehydration will decrease the production of saliva and the concentration of salivary immonuglobulin A, which is the body’s first line of defense against foreign objects such as bacteria.

Hydration also prevents headaches, improves performance and focus, lifts mood, and helps in body functions such as digestion, and heart and kidney functions. As a result, you decrease your susceptibility to diseases.

Don’t Take Too Much Sugar

Sugar is one factor to obesity and may likewise, increase your risk of getting sick.

Researchers recruited 1022 individuals for an observational study of an influenza vaccine and it’s relative risk based on body mass. It turned out that 9.8% of the obese participants confirmed that they had influenza or influenza-like illnesses compared to the 5.1% of those who have considered normal body weight.

Too much sugar may cause type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. All can weaken the immune system.

Manage Your Stress

Stress is a big culprit to a weakened immune system. It has been proven that stress can alter the immune response of people, including children.

Exercise, yoga, journaling, and other mindfulness practices can help you manage your stress. Web MD suggests that practicing positive attitude, acceptance to things you can’t control, being assertive, eating healthy and relying on your hobbies are some of the ways to eliminate stress.

Stay Away from Vices

Drinking too much alcohol, smoking (tobacco and vape), and illegal drugs can ruin someone’s immune system.

According to Recovery Ways, alcohol affects the gut microbes in the body, which will result in a weakened immune system. It also disrupts the gut barrier, allowing more bacteria to pass into the blood.

Aside from nicotine, tobacco contains 7,000 more dangerous chemicals, which can damage the body. It can also disrupt the function of Vitamin c, damage the lungs, weaken the bones and many more effects.

Wash Your Hands

In this pandemic, we used to hear experts advising us to wash our hands with soap and water for more than 20 seconds and as often as we could in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Why? Because most of the viruses and bacteria have skin made of fat and with soap, they can be washed away.

Vaccines Help

Vaccines are usually made of molecules from known pathogens like bacteria and viruses. When they are injected in the body, the immune system can learn how to attack such hostile invaders in a timely manner, make antibodies for it, and remember it for the future.

Stop with the unnecessary conspiracy theories and vaccinate the kids and your family members.

Health is Wealth

“Health is wealth,” they said. Well, it’s been proven. Stay healthy and live longer.