Looking after our bodies is something many of us concentrate on and for good reason. Our immune system is the core of our body and works to prevent us from getting ill by neutralising pathogens such as bacteria that threaten our bodies natural equilibrium. It fights against rebellious cells that cause diseases such as cancer.
Looking after our immune system is similar to taking care of our physical body, the more we look after it the better it performs. There are plenty of ways in which to strengthen the immune system and the more we understand the easier it is to protect.
Here we look at a few effective ways to strengthen our immune system.
1. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important things we should concentrate on to keep our mind and bodies healthy. Sleep and immunity are linked heavily and a lack of sleep causes a higher susceptibility of sickness. Even down to the smaller illnesses, those regularly getting under 6 hours sleep a night are more likely to catch a cold than those getting the recommended 8 hours.
When we sleep our immune system has a chance to “catch up”. It strengthens your natural immunity. When you’re sick, you tend to sleep more than if you weren’t. That’s your immune system catching up and trying to repair itself.
2. Look At Your Diet
You are what you eat. A famous saying that gets thrown around a fair bit but have you ever had a second thought? What we put in our bodies has an enormous effect on how it behaves and acts.
When a child eats something with a lot of sugar in it, they tend to become excited and erratic in behaviour. Whilst it’s not quite the same as adults, what we eat still has an effect on our bodies and our immune systems.
Eating foods that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals help combat harmful pathogens. The diet professionals from nutritiondietnews explain that antioxidants alone can help decrease inflammation in the body. Inflammation in itself can cause a number of health conditions including certain cancers, heart disease and even Alzheimers.
A well-balanced diet is key to a healthy lifestyle. Replace those unhealthy, fatty foods with something more organic. Plant-based food is a brilliant immunity booster.
3. Explore Fermented Foods & Probiotics
Probiotics populate your digestive tract. They help restore the natural balance of bacteria in your gut. Gut health and immunity are heavily linked, as are gut health and our brains. So looking after ourselves in this area is hugely important.
Fermented foods are naturally high in probiotics so getting some into your diet can be useful. Foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and more popularly, yoghurt, are rich with probiotics so try and mix them into your daily diet.
4. Monitor Your Sugar Intake
Sugar tastes great. Those with a sweet tooth can put away a fair amount of sugar without batting an eyelid. And as there’s so much added sugar in foods these days, even those without a sweet tooth can fall victim to having too much sugar in the diet.
Sugar is highly linked with obesity which has recently been discovered to be one of the leading causes of many illnesses and diseases. 5% is the daily recommended intake of your overall calories. This equates to roughly 25g of sugar whilst eating 2000 calories a day.
5. Drink Enough Water
We are made up of 60-70% water so keeping ourselves topped up is essential. Whilst staying hydrated doesn’t protect you from disease, it protects the body’s overall health. Staying hydrated helps prevent headaches, keeps you at peak performance level, improves focus, mood, digestion and the functions of your heart and kidneys.
6. Exercise Daily
We aren’t talking running 10 kilometres a day. Daily exercise tends to be 30 minutes of exercise that allows your heart rate to rise above resting. Moderate exercise gives your immune system a boost.
It can also help boost the effectiveness of vaccines within the body. Not only this but it helps the reduction of inflammation and helps your immune cells regenerate.
7. Use Supplements Wisely
Unfortunately, there are a large number of supplements out there and we don’t always know their true benefits. Advertising allows us to get invested in a product without truly knowing or understanding it. Using the right supplements, however, will help boost the immune system and the body’s immune response.
Vitamin and mineral supplements tend to be the better form of a supplement as there has been plenty of research into them. Look for vitamin C, D, B6 & B12 and other important minerals our body needs.
To ensure we live a long and healthy life we should be looking into as many ways to keep ourselves as healthy as possible. Looking at the immune system is a brilliant way to start.
We can help it in such a wide variety of ways we would be silly not to implement a few of them straight away. Sorting our sleep out is a great way to combat a number of ailments and will help boost the immune system. Don’t wait to start these important life changes.
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