The rapid spread of the virus COVID 19 has sparked an alarm and everybody is now talking about immunity. Remember our childhood biology classes? We were taught early on, that the fighting soldiers `white blood cells’ fight all the foreign organisms which attack our body. WBCs are our body’s version of the military who protect us from disease, infection and helps us recover from injury.
How can you improve your immune system? On the whole, our immune system does a remarkable job of defending us from disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes it fails: A germ invades successfully and makes you sick. Is it possible to intervene in this process and boost your immune system?
What if you improve your diet? Take certain vitamins or herbal preparations? Make other lifestyle changes in the hope of producing a near-perfect immune response. Our system has to work in balance and harmony. There’s still much that researchers don’t know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response. Though, everybody’s immune system works differently but there are obviously a few common things.
Like certain things, if not taken care of, can play havoc with your system. Have you been running around like crazy, skipping meals and suddenly find yourself sick? That’s your immune system getting even with you. So, what factors can play havoc with your immune system ?
Lack of Sleep
If you’re not getting more than five hours of sleep a night, your immune system can become depressed, just like you. This leaves you open to colds, flu, and infection.
Exposure to sunlight is how your body naturally produces vitamin D. This helps ward off an array of bad things like depression, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Stress can damage your immune system
Your immune system can handle only so much stress. If you’re stressed, a series of events release cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones from the adrenal gland. But, if a person is chronically stressed, stress hormones can affect the way the body functions over time. This increases the risk of health problems, depression, digestive issues, heart disease, sleep disorders and weight gain.
It’s important to find healthy ways to deal with your stress. This will decrease your risk of long-term stress and its related health problems. Some good ways to reduce stress include are Yoga, meditation, Acupuncture or art therapy. Just cultivate a hobby, talk to your friends and get rid of the stressor or get over that event.
How to improve your Immune System?
A little bit of laughter a day and tons of good bacteria can help you digest your food. Once your body comes in contact with a foreign substance, it attacks it and remembers it. If it comes back, your body knows what to do. A few pointers to follow
- Get a good night’s sleep. Your body can’t function correctly if you aren’t sleeping well.
- Practice good hygiene. Washing your hands regularly can prevent infections.
- Eat a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise. Eating nutritious food and staying active will help your body fight off infections.
Foods to increase Immunity
For daily requirement of Vitamin C, take citrus fruits and lemon. This helps in fighting cough and cold. Almonds and dry fruits have good fats and vitamins. We use turmeric in our diet but it is also used in treating osteoarthritis and in fact Haldi Milk is very soothing for our nerves.
Green tea is also a good source of the amino acid L-theanine. It aids in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells. Variety is the name of the game. Include all fruits and vegetables in your diet. Like papayas, Kiwis are naturally full of a ton of essential nutrients, including folate, potassium, and Vit K and vitamin C. Sunflower seeds are full of nutrients, including phosphorous, magnesium and B-6. Vitamin E is very important in maintaining a good immune system. Avocados and dark leafy vegetables have high amounts of it.
It’s time to get back to basics …..Wot say?