6 Simple Ideas for Boosting Your Immune System as The Season Changes

“Stress isn’t good for your health” — as the common saying goes. But what you need to know here  is that a stress-filled lifestyle and negative emotions altogether have a detrimental effect on your immune system. 

Research shows that the central nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system are interconnected. Another way to put it is that one bad link drags down the entire chain. Signs that your body is subjected to unhealthy levels of stress are anger, lack of focus, and sleep issues. 

To reduce stress, and as a result to avoid immune deficiencies, you might have to search for the triggers. A nagging boss, a busy schedule, an imbalanced diet, no “me time”, and so on. Until you find and deal with that trigger, practices such as meditation, and mindful breathing help you slow down and find a moment’s peace. 

Due to its regulating effect on the nervous system, yoga is also an excellent practice you can use to cut back on some of that stress.

2. Lack of Exercise and a Weak Immune System Go Hand In Hand

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You may or may not like what we’re about to say, but nonetheless it has to be mentioned: physical activity is an immunity booster. 

The science behind it is simple: exercise accelerates metabolism, which in turn stimulates all internal processes, including the exchange of white blood cells within your body, hence boosting your immune system.

Don’t worry if you can’t incorporate intense workouts into your routine. Moderate and low-impact exercise work just fine. 

Perhaps the reason many people don’t do any form of physical activity is because “there is no time”, but here are a couple of things you can do to integrate a little exercise in your day-to-day routine:

Instead of driving or taking the bus to work and back, walk. Walking is an immunity boosting hidden gem.

Workplace is too far? Bike there.

Kids are hyperactive? Jump and run around the house with them.

Stuck to your desk? Take 5 minutes to do some desk yoga.

The idea is to find a way to incorporate a little exercise, even when you think your schedule can’t take any more activities. A little movement goes a long way to reducing oxidative stress, and decreasing inflammation.

3. Good Sleep Strengthens Your Immunity

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Do you wake up tired? Do you feel beat for the most part of the day, then inspired and energetic around midnight?

If so, do you get enough sleep?

A sedentary life is not the only factor that can lead to stress, inflammation, and weak immunity. Sleep plays an important role in the regulation of the immune system. Shorter sleeping cycles may affect the body’s adaptive immune response in the long term by influencing how fast you recover from mild diseases such as the common flu.

What’s more, the quality of your resting hours is just as important as the quantity. 

So start simple. Firstly, you want to treat your sleeping schedule with the same gravity as your work schedule. Plan ahead when you should be in bed to catch between 6 and 8 hours of sleep each night. 

Secondly, you should prepare your mind and body for sleep. Find those cues that induce drowsiness right before your bedtime. Use this checklist as guidance:

1. Don’t go to bed feeling hungry or stuffed.
2. Make sure you drink your last cup of coffee a couple of hours before bedtime, preferably 6-8 hours before.
3. Reduce exposure to blue light in the evening. This means putting aside your phone or laptop and turning off the TV at least 2 hours before sleep.
4. Organize daytime napping. If you prefer taking naps throughout the day, make sure to make a regular thing out of it.
5. Go to bed with a clear headspace. Try meditating, taking a hot bath or listening to relaxing music to let go of nagging thoughts.

Make a habit out of seeing your sleep as an important activity, be consistent in trying to improve it, and then observe how important sleep is for boosting your immune system.

4. Hydration is Crucial for Preventing The Common Cold

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You must have been told about the importance of keeping yourself hydrated, but what is the reason to do so? 

Water lies at the core of all internal processes, including body temperature regulation, joint lubrication, transport of nutrients to the cells and the proper functioning of organs. 

So if your organism doesn’t have enough water, it cannot correctly transport nutrients to each organ. As a result, your body’s immune response is weakened.

To understand how much water is necessary for your body, learn from the doctors.  They divide your weight in half and transform it into ounces. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, your daily water intake should be a minimum of 80 ounces.

A trick to remind yourself to take a sip of water every now and then throughout the day is to use an app or to set alarms on your phone. 

5. Boosting Your Immune System Through Nutrition

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They say you are what you eat, and, let us say, we couldn’t agree more. A  great number of links exist between diet and the response of your immune system. 

Plant-based diets provide a high intake of vitamins, thus improving the effectiveness of white blood cells. Low-fat diets protect the microbiota in your gut, so the organisms that aid immunity are safe. Enough dietary fiber increases immunity and reduces inflammatory biomarkers. 

Therefore, we believe it is important for your immunity to choose wisely what foods enter your body. Here are a couple of guidelines to help you boost your immune system with nutrition.

Sidenote: Since we’ll be tackling the topic of vitamins and minerals later on in the article, we will be focusing on sources of healthy fats and probiotics. 

Here is a checklist to better understand if your diet is rich in foods that can strengthen your immune system and decrease inflammation. If none of these items is part of your diet, consider adding some of them to the shopping list.

Healthy fats are a key food group in combating inflammation and regulating blood pressure. 

Sources of healthy fats: nuts and seeds, fatty fish, olive and coconut oil, avocados.

Probiotics balance the digestive system, promoting the natural production of antibodies, as a result boosting immune cells in the body. 

Sources of probiotics: yogurt, pickles, kimchi. 

6. Vitamins and Supplements for Improving Your Immune System

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As we have already established in the previous section, you can use food for boosting your immunity. Nutrients and vitamins are an essential part of your diet, because of the chain of reactions a deficiency can trigger.

Nutrients support the growth and activity of immune cells. Immune cells produce antibodies that in turn help prevent the common cold, while reducing oxidative stress.

Studies proved that deficiencies in vitamins D, B6, C, E, zinc, copper, and folic acid could decrease the immune system’s efficiency. 

If you are wondering how to boost the immune system naturally — and how to reduce oxidative stress — take a hard look at your nutrient intake. Use this list as a brief guide:

• Foods containing vitamin D — oily fish (such as salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel); red meat; liver; egg yolks; fortified foods (such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals).
• Foods containing Vitamin B6 — pork; poultry, such as chicken or turkey; peanuts; soy beans; wheatgerm; oats; bananas.
• Foods containing vitamin C — citrus fruits, such as oranges and orange juice; strawberries; blackcurrants; broccoli; brussels sprouts; potatoes.
• Foods containing vitamin E — vegetable oils; nuts; seeds; green leafy vegetables; fortified breakfast cereals.

If at times you find that your diet can’t provide the entire range of vitamins, supplements are a good short-term surrogate. They absorb much faster and offer your body what it needs.   

Can a Bunch of Berries Be Good for Your Immunity?

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Yes, and let us tell you why. 

As previously mentioned, antioxidants and vitamins are great supporters of the immune system. The category of foods which are packed with such nutrients are berries, specifically elderberries. 

The health benefits of elderberries flowers and fruits include the reduction of inflammation and of oxidative stress. 

How to use elderberries for boosting your immune system when it is out of season?

Elderberry Capsules are a surefire way to stock up on natural antioxidants that keep your body strong, sheltered from seasonal cold and flu, and protected from free radicals. 

One Last Thought About Boosting Your Immune System

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The principles we presented here may come as no surprise to you. 

Eating healthy, implementing moderate exercise into your routine, and getting enough sleep are methods of improving the quality of life in general, but you shouldn’t miss out on these opportunities to strengthen your immune system. 

Your “getting healthy” process should be built around natural practices, and you can use all-natural supplements as a support or as boosters, not as an all-encompassing solution. 

Visit our shop and choose your natural booster.