Easy Tips For a Healthier Immune System

An easy way to stay healthy is to keep your immune system healthy. This isn’t as complicated as you believe and with a few changes to your routine, you can benefit from a few more years of perfect health!

1. Get enough sleep! As simple as this tip may sound, it really does work! Sleep deprivation, much like stress overload, increases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone, it controls your mood, motivation, and fear. If your cortisol levels are elevated for too long, you may experience suppressed immune function.
2. Avoid smoking. Tobacco undermines many of the fundamental immune defense mechanisms and raises the risk of bronchitis and pneumonia.
3. Drink less alcohol. Researchers are not sure why, but increased alcohol consumption has been proven to decrease the body’s T-cell count as well as B cell. These cells that are responsible for creating antibodies that fight bacteria. A good way monitor whether you’re consuming too much is to check whether you’re hungover the next day or not. Hangovers are not only uncomfortable but also an indication that your liver is working an overtime.
4. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, which will provide your body with the nutrients your immune system needs. A study in older adults showed that boosting fruit and vegetable intake improved antibody response.
5. Consider probiotics. Probiotics are foods rich an array of good nutrients. By learning about what foods help with what situation, you can create a menu plan that has probiotic foods that help you improve specific areas of your immune system.
6. Add garlic. Garlic is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent and immune booster. Its key ingredient, however, is deactivated when the ginger is heated up – so try to add just before serving, or raw if that’s a taste you can handle.
7. Try immune-supportive herbs. If you are prone to infections, adding immune-supportive herbs to your diet can really help improve your immune system. Som immune-supportive herbs you can try out include Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticocus), Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), or astragalus (A. membranaceus).
8. Catch some rays. Low vitamin D levels typically correlate with a greater risk of respiratory infections, but with just some time out in the sun, this can be effectively avoided. Take these minutes in the sun as an excuse to do some exercise, this won’t only improve your mood but help keep your brain supple.