Having These 10 Habits Will Really Improve Your Immunity
The immune system - a complex network of organs, proteins, and cells - is our body's main defense against viruses, bacteria, or any other foreign substances.
When the immune system is working properly, you remain healthy and there is less chance of becoming ill. However, when the performance of the immune system is compromised, you become vulnerable to infection and a wide range of other health problems.
For better immunity, eating healthy and getting proper rest and sleep are absolutely essential. However, apart from a good diet and sound sleep, there are many other small things that can help strengthen your immunity. Here are 10 simple habits that will help to boost your immunity.
1. Maintain Body Hygiene
Good personal hygiene will help keep germs at bay and stop an infection
before it has the chance to begin. Furthermore, you'll avoid spreading
germs to others.
• Wash your hands frequently - especially after touching anyone/anything that may have germs.
• Drying your hands thoroughly is as important as washing them since germs thrive more easily on wet surfaces.
• Always wash your wet towels in warm water and replace any damp ones with dry ones often.
• Brush your teeth twice a day and floss once. Replace your toothbrush every three months.
• Use mouthwash to kill any germs inside your mouth.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Don't pick at healing wounds as doing so will allow germs to enter.
2. Drink Plenty of Water
No matter how healthy you are eating, it won't help much if you're not drinking enough water.
One of the benefits of drinking water is that adequate hydration has a positive effect on the immune system. Water flushes toxins out of the body and ensures that your cells and organs are getting all the oxygen they need to function properly.
Another huge benefit of drinking plenty of water is that it helps to keep your digestive system strong so that you're able to properly digest your food. Adequate nutrition is vital when it comes to maintaining a strong immune system.
When drinking water, try to drink clean and filtered water. when
traveling, be aware that not all countries follow stringent standards of
water safety, and therefore you may significantly increase your risk of
contracting a water-borne disease if you drink from the tap. Therefore,
while traveling, it is recommended that you only drink bottled water
and avoid anything with ice in it.
3. Laugh Out Loud
Emotions such as anger and grief can impair health, but laughter does the opposite.
Laughter can boost your immunity, which in turn will provide your body with better resistance to illness and disease. A hearty laugh can increase the number of anti-infection antibodies as well as T-cells in the blood. Furthermore, it also increases the number of antibodies in the mucus made in the nose and respiratory passages, the entry point for germs. In addition to this, laughter increases blood circulation, stimulates digestion, reduce muscle tension, and lowers blood pressure.
4. Catch Some Sun rays
Sunlight helps in the production of vitamin D, the vitamin that helps
promote protective immunity. If you have a low amount of vitamin D in
your blood, you have a higher chance of suffering from infections,
cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.
Getting just 10-15 minutes of sun exposure (without sunscreen) each day
is enough to produce vitamin D.
5. Be Positive
Being joyful and optimistic is something we should all aspire for to remain healthy. The immune system takes many of its cues from our feelings and thoughts. In fact, a positive attitude has been shown to improve immunity. At the same time, those who are positive are at a lower risk of having a stroke or a heart attack.
6. Start Your Day with a Smoothie
Eating breakfast is good for your health, but eating something healthy is a lot more important. Preparing a healthy breakfast is not an option for everyone. However, anyone can make a smoothie to ensure their day gets off to a good start.
Fruit and vegetables can double your immune system's ability to fight diseases. The immune system requires quite a few nutrients in order to function well. The antioxidants C,E,A and selenium are just a few of the nutrients that you will get from fruit and vegetables.
However, cooking fruit and vegetables can destroy their nutritional power. Therefore, it's best to eat vegetables in their raw form, which you can achieve by blending a few fruit or vegetables together to make a healthy smoothie. To make a delicious smoothie, all you need is a food processor or blender, some fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts or seeds, and a few minutes of preparation.
7. Meditate
Meditation, in its many different forms, can tweak the immune system in a number of beneficial ways. Meditation creates a positive mental environment for the immune system to flourish. Additionally, it also boosts the antibodies that help make the immune system function more efficiently. furthermore, it helps to reduce anxiety and depression.
Aim to practice meditation in a quiet and peaceful place for around
10-15 minutes each day.
8. Take a walk daily
Exercise is one of the best ways to promote good immunity. If you do not have the time for intense exercise, a 30-minute walk each day is all that your body needs to function properly. Walking reduces the levels of circulating inflammatory factors and oxidative stress, as well as increasing the recirculation of immune cells that kill cancerous and infected cells. Take a 30-minute walk each morning, and walk for another 10-15 minutes after dinner. Running, swimming or jumping-rope are also great ways to boost your immunity and improve your overall health.
9. Listening to Music
Listening to music can keep you healthy and your immunity strong. When you listen to music, your body produces more of the antibody immunoglobulin A. This antibody plays a very important part in the mucous system and helps to keep cells healthy. Moreover, music can have a great effect on mental health conditions, helping you to overcome low moods, anxiety, and depression.
What's great about this is that you don't even have to take time out of your busy schedule to listen to it. You can enjoy your favorite tunes wherever you go and whatever you're doing - be it driving, running, walking, cleaning, cooking, and even working.
10. Quit the Sugar
Sugar has no benefits to your health. In fact, sugar dramatically reduces immune function and makes you more susceptible to the common cold, flu, and other infections.
Sugar impacts the functioning of white blood cells by competing with vitamin C for space in those cells. The white blood cells need vitamin C to function properly so that they can destroy bacteria and viruses.
Therefore, the more sugar you eat, the less vitamin C will be available to the white blood cells, resulting in a weakened immunity. Therefore, you should opt for natural sweeteners instead such as stevia, jaggery, and honey.
Additional Tips
• Avoid regular tea and coffee and opt for ginger or green tea instead.
• Get plenty of sleep and manage your stress levels.
• Avoid smoking as well as second-hand smoke.
• Eat 1-2 cloves of garlic a day.
• Include immune-boosting herbs and spices in your cooking such as
rosemary, oregano, and turmeric.