Simplest Ways to Boost Your Immune System

   With the rains coming, its time to take extra care with our immunity. As much as we welcome the rains for our fields and farmers, often with the change of season there is an increased chance of coughs and colds!

Nearly every system in the body contributes to immunity: Stress, poor diet and lack of sleep or exercise can contribute to a weakening of the immune system. Here’s what you can do!

While the actions below may feel like the very last things you want to focus on, I implore you to try. Not just because you will feel better but because they will enhance your performance and frankly we find ourselves in a time where our well-being depends on it. And so here they are, 7 hacks for boosting your immune system

 Sleep

Put on some comfortable pyjamas, crawl into bed and get an early night. With the world outside at practically a standstill and your social calendar stark, there is no fear of missing out to keep you awake.

Yes, it is an incredibly stressful time and many people are feeling the weight of anxiety making it difficult for them to switch off but quality sleep will only strengthen one’s ability to deal with everything. Sleep is such a quick win, easy to do and hugely beneficial to every aspect of our well being. Sleep deprivation (and that includes poor quality sleep) weakens your immune system, leaving you susceptible to illness. When you don’t get the full amount of restful sleep you need, you make fewer cytokines, a protein that targets infection and inflammation and acts as an immune response. The National Sleep Foundation also recommends daily naps and when will there be a better opportunity to do this than now?! Their recommendation, especially during flu season, that taking a morning and afternoon nap of no longer than 30 minutes has been shown to decrease stress and offset negative effects that sleep deprivation has on the immune system. For our brains, sleep is a period of restoration. During these glorious midnight hours, we transition from one sleep stage to another allowing our brain to restore it’s capacity for learning, make room for new memories and prepare for the day ahead.  

Wash your hands—and don’t forget to moisturize

Washing hands thoroughly and often, especially when in contact with food and after sneezing and coughing, can help prevent the spread of disease-causing germs. We all know the CDC’s rule by now: lather hands with soap and scrub (with no water) for at least 20 seconds before rinsing with clean water. (Using a 60% percent–alcohol hand sanitizer is the second-best option when handwashing isn’t possible.) But did you know that moisturizing is also important?

The skin is the body’s first line of defense, and over washing it can strip the top layer and lead to cracking and bleeding (especially in dry climates). As well as being painful, cracks and bleeding give bacteria a direct entryway to the body. Using a non-greasy, fragrance-free hand cream and following other protective measures, like wearing gloves to protect against harsh chemicals, can help protect your hands.

WORK OUT REGULARLY

The exact relationship between the immune system and exercise is not completely clear, but we do know that regular exercise boosts our immune function. Physical activity increases our heart rate and breathing, which can help rid our bodies of bacteria in the lungs and airways. During and after physical activity, our body temperature rises. This rise in temperature helps kill and or prevent bugs from growing and or spreading within our body. Being mindful of your exertion and how hard you are pushing yourself is imperative when using exercise to boost your immune system. Over-exercising or pushing yourself too hard can actually have an opposite effect and instead weaken your immune system, which then increases your risk of getting sick. Our bodies can be such good communicators; make sure you are slowing down enough to listen to your body and decipher what it may be telling you.

Get more Vitamin D: sunlight and food. 

Sun exposure is how most of us get our Vitamin D. However, how much we get from the sun can vary as there are many factors that impact just how much vitamin D each of us can get from the sun.

These factors in include:

>Color of skin – depending on the darkness of your skin, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours for you to get enough sun exposure to get Vitamin D

Proximity to the equator – the sun is strongest the closer to the equator

Amount of skin being exposed to sunlight (the more you expose, the more opportunity for Vitamin D exposure you have)

Time of day- the strength of the sun (think mid-day) is best

Foods we can consume to get vitamin D include: fatty fish (think salmon), liver, and egg yolks.

We hope that learning these 6 ways to boost your immune system will help you stay healthy through this season, but just in case, stay tuned for next week when we will be tackling natural remedies for the cold and flu.

VITAMIN D

 Drink less alcohol

You might not know it, but excessive alcohol consumption may suppress your body's ability to fight germs. In fact a new study from a researcher at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine found that just one episode of binge drinking (defined as four drinks for women or five for men) weakened participants' immune systems for up to five hours. If you choose to consume alcohol limit consumption to one drink per day for women and two for men.

Maintaining a strong immune system can help reduce your odds of falling ill. And even if you do end up getting sick you'll likely bounce back faster than someone with a weaker immune system.