Are you looking for magic pills to boost your immunity in the long run? Well, we have news to share. Magic pills that can fortify your immune system quickly don’t exist. However, you can actively take concrete actions that will significantly strengthen your immunity for life. These will help your body fight against pathogens that cause sickness, achieving notable changes in sleep quality, overall mood, and energy levels.
Understanding Immunity in Details
The immune system is a network of cells, organs, proteins, and other body substances that helps the body fight diseases and infections. The system consists of white blood cells, bone marrow, and organs such as the tonsils, spleen, and thymus. Other parts, such as the lymph system, also contribute to your general well-being.
As you scroll down the article, you need to understand several factors you cannot control can affect your immune system. Such factors include age and genetics. However, one can have influence over other factors such as diet, exercise, and rest. It is in these factors that PureHealth Research experts advise their clients to capitalize on if they want to boost their immunity.
With that in mind, let us summarize some of the most important practices you can embrace to boost your immunity. All of them are science-backed and can lead to a healthy life.
1. Eating a Healthy Diet
Experts in nutrition define diet as the kind of food a community or a person usually eats. It also often refers to specific food intake for weight management or health reasons. It is worth noting what is allowed on carnivore diet and that the food we take provides valuable nutrients that ensure our immune system is working correctly. In addition, some diets tend to aggravate your immunity, meaning they can lessen its effectiveness and protection.
Eating food rich in minerals, omega-3, fiber, and high-quality protein is key in supporting one’s immune system. Antioxidants rich foods such as carrots, spinach, and broccoli are also pretty valuable to our bodies.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality proteins should be part of your daily intake. Eating foods rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals can boost your immune system. Additionally, you need to avoid foods with a high sodium content or highly saturated with fats as they can trigger immune system responses that can cause imbalances in your health.
2. Maintaining a Regular Exercise Routine
The National Library of Medicine says that being physically fit is critical as it keeps pathogens and other microbes out of the airways and the lungs. An activity routine to be fit is crucial as it lowers the chances of getting the flu or other respiratory diseases. Regular exercise also improves one’s immune system by boosting overall circulation, making it easier for cells such as lymphocytes to travel more quickly in the body.
Experts from PureHealth Research have identified that daily engaging in at least 30 minutes of average to vigorous exercise can stimulate your immunity. You must focus on staying healthy and active by exercising regularly to boost your immune system.
3. Getting Plenty of Sleep
Getting enough sleep does not appear like an active process, but researchers have identified that many essential things happen in your body when you are dead asleep. For example, your body produces infection-fighting molecules more effectively when you are sleeping. According to recent studies, people who rarely get enough time to sleep are more prone to catching respiratory diseases, such as the flu or the common cold, when exposed to viruses.
Although this should not be an excuse to be lazy and avoid working, you need to plan your day well to have at least eight hours of sleep. This rest schedule is essential as you will boost your immunity, giving your body higher chances of success when fighting illness and infections.
4. Positive Thinking and Stress Avoidance
Research studies have identified that stress causes the body to produce high levels of cytokines and cortisol, triggering uncontrolled inflammation. Meaning that if you are stressed, your immune response will be affected. In addition, it can affect the production of white blood cells, leaving you at a high risk of suffering illnesses such as the common cold and sores. People who are stressed rarely get enough sleep or eat well, neglecting other essential habits that can boost their immunity.
Positive living, even if faked, can reduce the severity of stress. The University of Kansas and its team of researchers found that smiling or even faking a smile can reduce stress more when your blood pressure is high. You need to understand that negative emotions weaken your immune response and hasten the adverse effects of stress. However, being grateful and leading a positive life can also alter this and boost your immune response.
5. Supplements
Apart from getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising, and leading a positive life, you can also take some supplements to fill gaps to boost your immunity. These supplements include omega-3 fatty acids, N-acetylcysteine, Vitamin D and C, as well as strains of probiotics.
However, you need to seek medical guidance from your physician before taking some of these supplements to know which ones are best suited to your body and conditions. In addition, excessive intake of these supplements could affect your immune response. Therefore, depending on your physician or a nutritionist for prescription is very important.
Conclusion
The ability of your body to remain healthy and protect its cells from any infection or disease attacks largely depends on its immune response. Although there are some elements of the immune system that we cannot control, such as aging and hereditary conditions, there are several other factors we do have control over.
If you want to boost your immunity, following these five science-backed practices outlined here should produce excellent results to help you achieve a healthy and long-lasting life. Get enough sleep, lead a positive life, eat a proper and balanced diet, maintain a regular exercise routine, and fill in the gaps with supplements advised by a physician you trust. Doing all these daily will boost your immunity to a greater extent.
