As daylight hours shorten, the weather gets colder, and we spend more time indoors, the chances of catching a cold or seasonal virus increase. In an effort to “boost” your immunity system to avoid getting sick, I thought I would share a few strategies.
Getting a good night’s sleep is vital to your overall health, as well as an important step in boosting your immunity system. While you are sleeping, your body produces proteins that direct your immune cells to fight inflammation. Research has shown if you don’t get enough sleep, you are more prone to getting sick after exposure to a virus, and you will stay sick longer! Although 8 hours of sleep is a great goal, some people do not require the 8 hours. You probably already know how many hours your body functions well at, so use that as a gauge.
Make sure you eat well. This includes not overeating, and eating healthy foods. Eat a diet high in vitamins and minerals, drink water, and avoid processed foods. Cut back on caffeine and alcohol. Eat fruits and vegetables, nuts, and oats to boost your immunity system and fight inflammation. Eating healthy is probably one of the best ways to fight infection. Vitamins A, C, E and D may help prevent illness. Consider taking a daily multivitamin.
Although this is easier said than done, try to reduce stress. Stress affects your immune system by decreasing white blood cells that helps fight off infection. Try and limit the amount of news you watch, listen to, or read. It is important to find ways to relieve your stress. Breathing, praying, meditating, yoga, stretching, mindfulness, walking, and doing other self-care activities will help relieve stress.
Exercising is another way to boost your immune system. Maintaining a good exercise plan during the winter months is more challenging than during the summer. If you exercise outdoors, make sure you are using the correct foot gear, layer clothes appropriately, and use caution when extremely cold. If there is snow and ice, wear boots with grips to avoid falling. Exercising will also help with sleep.
Reach out to a friend, make a new friend, or get/foster a pet. Social connections with others helps keep your immune systems working well. Enjoying time with someone or a pet, releases chemicals in your brain that boosts your mood, lowers your blood pressure, and keeps your brain healthy.
And, staying up to date with annual physical examinations and blood work, screenings, and dental exams, is important. Getting the CDC-recommended vaccines like flu, RSV, COVID, pneumonia, and shingles is important in strengthening your immune system to fight off any viruses you may encounter.
While all of these things sound simple, sometimes doing them requires we make changes to our lifestyle. Eating healthy foods and snacks, getting motivated to exercise when you are not used to or feel like it, and practicing self-care strategies when we are not used to focusing on our ourselves, requires a commitment to take care of bodies. Doing so, is not selfish. Committing to one or two of these changes is a great start! Our mental, physical and spiritual health needs to be a priority for each of us if we wish to be stay well!
References:
- Live Smart, Six Simple Ways to Stay Well This Winter, by Lambeth Hochwald, Parade , October 2, 2022.
