How to Strengthen Immune System

The immune system does a remarkable job of defending the body against disease-causing microorganisms, but there are a number of times where it fails. Germs are able to invade your body and you become sick. This is why many people are looking for ways they can boost their immunity and make sure they are more protected from getting sick. There are a number of things you can do to boost your immune system. Learn know how to strengthen immune system and help you avoid some common illnesses.

Get Sleep and Manage Stress

Depriving yourself sleep and being stressed will cause an increase of hormone cortisol. Prolonged elevation of this hormone suppresses the immune function. The less sleep you have the more likely you are to decrease the ability of the body to respond to infections. Sleep will also help when you are sick.

Avoid Smoking

Quitting is one of the best decisions you will make and will improve every aspect of your health, including strengthening the immune system. Smoking increases the risks of getting pneumonia and bronchitis. The second hand smoke increases the risk of middle ear infections in kids. It weakens the immune system by repressing antibodies and cells in the body. People who stopped smoking saw an increase in immune levels and their general health improved in a couple of days.

Sunlight

Sunlight triggers the skin to produce vitamin D. A ten to fifteen-minute exposure to the sun is enough to help boost your immune system. There are studies showing that having low Vitamin D levels correlate with a greater risk of respiratory infection.

Eat A Healthy Diet

Proper nutrition is very important when it comes to staying healthy and resisting infection. When you eat food with high calories, you risk gaining weight and it also leaves you more prone to infections. Being overweight has also been associated with a number of health complications that can affect the immune system. Avoiding things like sugar and alcohol is a good idea because microbes love sugar.

Exercise

Sitting around and sleeping all day will leave you feeling sluggish and negatively affects your immune system. Exercise will help strengthen your immune system. You don’t need to pay for trainers or sign up to the gym. Walking up to twenty minutes three times a week will work. Exercising leads to release of endorphins, which are hormones that affect the brain positively, helping you de-stress and sleep better, leading to reduced stress.

Avoid Alcohol and Drugs

There have been proven health benefits of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, but people tend to drink more than the limit. Drinking too much inhibits the function of white blood cells and lowers the body’s resistance to infection. The use of recreational drugs such as marijuana has been shown to have the same effect on the white blood cells, weakening the immune system.