03/10/2022
IMMUNE BOOSTING AND HEALTHY HABITS
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Improving your immune system won’t happen overnight. This change requires new habits, a health-focused lifestyle, dietary changes, and more.
If you’re truly invested in improving your health for the long term, here are several healthy habits to develop:
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1 Log Enough Sleep
Sleep is critical for your brain, your heart, and, yes, your immune system, so it's imperative to get the sleep you need.
Most doctors recommend 8 hours of sleep every night, but some people may do just fine with 6-6.5. Any less than 6 hours of sleep every night, however, can cause problems. Your immune system needs rest as much as the rest of your body does. Experiment to find your “sweet spot” of how much sleep you need to function and establish a routine to help you consistently sleep for that amount of time. Find ways to relax before bedtime and get your body prepared for a full night’s sleep.
Without adequate sleep, your NK cells decline, and you get a rise in what's called inflammatory cytokines that contribute to numerous health issues like rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.
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2 Eat Plenty of Fruits & Vegetables
You really are what you eat—and if you nosh on a high number of plant-based foods, you'll be fuelling your body with the nutrients your immune system needs, including vitamin B12, calcium, iron, zinc, and iodine. You can find an abundance of all these nutrients in Plant-strong foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. But you don't need to overhaul your diet completely (and go straight vegan), as long as you make sure you're getting enough of the right nutrients for a strong immune system.
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3 Break a Sweat
Exercise is a massive help to your body. Working out gets your blood moving, helps wake you up, releases endorphins, and can help you maintain a healthy weight. Most adults should aim for at least 75 minutes of intense activity or 150 minutes of moderate activity per week for best results.
Exercise promotes the re-circulation of key immune cells like Killer T cells and promotes an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant state.
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4 Take a Daily Stress Break
It's impossible to be alive and not experience stress, but we all need to find ways to manage it. Give yourself daily time-outs from stress. While studies show that life events such as relationship problems, divorce, career problems, and job loss can depress levels of NK and T cells, thus lowering immunity, even routine daily stressors such as deadlines, traffic jams, and long Starbucks lines can cause changes in immunity.
You can't avoid stress, but you can at least improve your coping mechanisms, which is why you should take a time-out at least once a day to give your immune system a break and regain equilibrium. Spend 30 minutes every day doing something you enjoy, whether that's reading, meditating, taking a walk, or meeting friends to talk.
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5 …And Get Your Vitamin D
You already know how important Vitamin D is for your bone health, but as it turns out, it’s also critical for your immune system. This vitamin can help modulate our immune system, and a vitamin D deficiency is actually can lead to a greater risk of infection.
The fix: Make sure your diet is loaded with foods that offer plenty of vitamin D, like salmon, tuna, egg yolks, mushrooms, and anchovies. If you’re having trouble getting enough vitamin D, pop a supplement.
