SHARES
“Why do I get sick ever so often? Is there anything that I can do to strengthen my immune system?” Ann, 16, would fall sick every single time she finishes a big exam.
Immunity depends on the ability of the your immune system to mount a defence against foreign substances like viruses. Our immune system is very complex. It needs to be strong enough to fight off infection but, yet not too strong so that it overreacts, causing allergies such as eczema, asthma. Worse still, an overactive immune system may turn against you causing auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
The immune system needs to be regulated to function optimally. Some lifestyle changes can help your immune system work optimally.
Boost Immunity by Optimising the Immune System
Adequate Sleep
Your immune system is highly depending on how long and how well you sleep. Sleeping may not feel like an active process, but many important activities happen during sleep. Importantly, it includes your immune system producing infection fighting molecules.
In fact, people with insufficient and poor sleep are more prone to infection.
Adult is advised to get 7 or more hours of sleep each night, while teens need 8-10 hours of sleep; younger children and infant need up to 14 hours of sleep.
If you have trouble falling asleep, you can try some ways to help you sleep better such as breathing exercises, practicing good sleep hygiene, limiting your screen time.
Healthy Diet
It’s not new to us that a good diet is beneficial to us in many ways, one of them include boosting our immune system. So, make sure you eat a balanced diet that include vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. A healthy diet helps you get enough micronutrients which is proven to boost your immunity. Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E are some micronutrients that help strengthen your immunity.
If you think that your diet is not providing you with enough micronutrients, taking a daily supplement may help. However, it is believed that your body take up vitamin more efficiently from dietary sources rather than supplement, the best way to boost your immunity is still to have a well-balanced diet.
Stay Hydrated
Water make up 70 percent of our body, including a fluid in our body called lymph. Lymph carries cells that fight off infections around our body. So, being dehydrated can slow down the movement of lymph, affecting our immunity consequently. To prevent dehydration, make sure you have enough fluid intake every day.
Photo by Cuba gallery from Flickr
Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly is key to a healthy body. It boosts your overall circulation so that immune cells can travel more easily around your body, reduces inflammation and help your immune cells to regenerate regularly. Moreover, it is also a great way to reduce stress, which can lower our immunity.
So, try to engage in some moderate to vigorous exercise every day for at least 30 minutes such as brisk walking, swimming, jogging and bicycling.
Manage Stress
Chronic stress can cause your body to react with a stress response, which can then cause inflammation and suppressing your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness.
Next time when you are feeling stress, try some relaxation techniques such as breathing exercise, yoga, meditation or engaging in your hobby.
Photo by Lalit Sahu from Flickr
Conclusion
In order to have a good immune system, our body needs balance and harmony. Though it is easier said than done, lifestyle and dietary changes can help strengthen our body’s natural defense and fight off infections.
References:
1. How to boost your immune system [Internet]. Harvard University. 2014. (Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system; last updated on 2020 Apr 6; last accessed on 2020 Nov 19)
2. Shoemaker S. 9 ways to boost your body’s natural defenses [Internet]. Healthline Media LLC. 2020. (Available from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-boost-immune-health; last accessed on 2020 Nov 19)
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by Chang Xian
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