Your immune system faces a daunting task, fighting off various bacteria, viruses, and toxins that enter the body on a daily basis. When your body senses a threat from such substances, your immune system kicks into gear, battling the invader to keep you healthy.
An army cannot win a war without a steady supply of troops and provisions. Your immune system operates similarly, requiring replenishment to remain effective. Your actions can keep it supplied with reinforcements, helping it function at its best. Here are some ways to help your immune system fight off colds and infections.
1. Use supplements
The vitamins an immune system needs to work properly include Vitamins A, C, and D, zinc, folic acid, iron, and selenium. Most people do not consume enough vitamins and minerals in their daily diets. Both of these are essential for a functional immune system. Many will turn to supplements to augment their food intake of essential vitamins and minerals. However, swallowing capsules is not as effective as an IV treatment.
Using an Atlanta home visit IV treatment from Drip Hydration, Color, Event Scan, and Global 7 Diagnostics is a more efficient way of delivering nutrients to the body. Vitamin IV treatments can boost your immune system with in-home treatments. A registered nurse comes to you to administer the IV treatment, making it both convenient and accessible.
When choosing supplements or other vitamin treatments, such as IV drips, users should examine their contents to ensure they contain the right ingredients to boost their immune system.
2. Get enough rest
Part of getting a good night’s sleep is recharging your body for the next period of wakefulness. The immune system works best when it gets sufficient rest. People who are always on the go and do not get enough sleep are often susceptible to infections. Their bodies fight exhaustion and cannot divert the necessary resources to resist microorganisms that might cause illness.
Most experts would define a decent night’s sleep as seven or eight hours of quality deep sleep for adults, although the exact need varies depending on age. People who try and function on only five or six, burning the candle at both ends, might manage this sleep pattern in the short term, but their bodies will show signs of exhaustion, such as getting ill frequently.
Everyone goes through stages where they cannot sleep well at night. If sleeplessness persists, seek help to determine what prevents you from sleeping, as you may have an underlying medical condition.
3. Minimize stress
Stress has a significant impact on your body’s immune system. It starts with the body’s stress response to perceived threats. This primal instinct dates back to times when early humans faced daily perils, such as predators. Their bodies would go into a heightened state of alertness as they prepared to fight or flee. This response is triggered when your body releases stress hormones into the bloodstream, such as cortisol.
Cortisol causes your senses to sharpen, increases heart rate, and activates the immune system to respond to an injury or illness. Once the perceived threat passes, all functions return to regular patterns. In today’s rat race world, people feel stressed and anxious more often than they should. Their bodies are constantly on alert, taxing the immune system.
Stress management techniques help you control these feelings, giving your immune system a much-needed break. These techniques may include exercise, yoga, and meditation, among others.
4. Get exercise
Exercise is a natural immune booster that should form part of everyone’s health regimen. During a period of activity, your body’s blood flow increases. Exercise strengthens antibodies that fight infections and lowers your stress levels, thereby reducing the secretion of stress hormones into the body.
Inflammation is a normal response to injury, triggering the immune system to heal it. Some people have chronic inflammation due to various conditions occupying their immune system defense lines. Exercise reduces inflammation, allowing the immune system to focus on external threats like viruses and bacteria.
5. Eat healthily
As mentioned before, most people do not get enough vitamins and minerals from their daily diet, using supplements to top up their supply. However, they also do not get sufficient quantities of other nutrients, such as proteins, from their food. Many eat processed foods that contain minimal nutritional value.
To boost your immune system, you need to change your dietary intake, sticking to a balanced diet that contains all food groups in the correct proportions. Start eating more fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy proteins, and avoiding sugary and salty carbs.
