Boost your immunity has become a vital part of everyone’s life. If you are cautious about how to prevent diseases, both communicable and non communicable, the major factor is immunity. Immunity is scientifically defined as the action of the body against diseases. Furthermore it can be described as the body’s ability to defend itself against disease causing organisms. Once the germs try to enter your body from outside, the immune system of the body creates a barrier against those germs and protects you. The body structure has a system of immunity which is a complex network of organs, cells and proteins that defend your body.
Immunity is basically of 2 types, active immunity and passive immunity. Active immunity is when our body is involved in the process of producing antibodies within our body itself against disease causing germs . Passive immunity is when a person is given antibodies against a disease from an external source. Active immunity is a long lasting process but passive immunity may last only for some hours, days or months . Active immunity does not occur immediately and surely there are no side effects of active immunity. In contrast, in passive immunity antibodies are introduced from an external source . So there can be side effects like allergies and reactions. The major benefit of this type of immunity is that it can be developed immediately.
Actually we should pay our considerable attention to why immunity is so important for us. The major role of immunity is to combat viruses and bacteria. We all try to be healthy as long as we live. So it’s quite important to maintain a healthy immune system to fight against these viruses and bacteria.
As human beings we all have different habits. Sometimes those habits may have adverse effects on our immunity. There are several factors that may weaken our immune system. The worst among them is ‘smoking’ . Smoking badly affects the ability of the immune system which generates respiratory bursts. So the immunity goes down .
When we talk about being healthy, we keep a healthy diet on the top of our mind. If we don’t take a healthy diet, it will definitely weaken the body’s immunity. Our diet should contain the required nutrients in required amounts. A nutritious diet is a crucial factor which has a positive impact on our immunity. On the other hand malnutrition causes deficiencies in the immune system. The immune cells must be provided with sufficient nutrients in sufficient amounts in order to function well. There is a positive relationship between malnutrition and immunity. The most prevalent cause of immunodeficiency worldwide is severe malnutrition.
In some instances people are not aware that their immunity has gone down . They ignore the ‘red flags’ sent by your immune system. Actually, how do you know that your immunity is weakened?
Some tips to recognize Immunity weakness.
Feeling tired all the time.
It is the easiest way to identify that your immunity has gone down. It’s quite natural to feel tired after working hard or not having a good sleep. The problem occurs if you are getting enough rest but still feel tired frequently, which is an alarming sign that your immune system is in danger. Your energy level intensely goes down when your immunity is weakened.
Getting infected frequently.
If you are frequently getting severe infections at least 2/3 times a week and those infections include ear infections, developing pneumonia, bacterial sinusitis and if you are in need of more than 2 courses of antibodies a year you are basically losing your immunity.
Slow recovery from wounds .
Usually our wounds are recovered because of our immunity. New skin is regenerated with nutrient rich blood. This process totally depends on immune cells. If you are having healthy immune cells, the recovery process is quick and if your immunity level is low , you have to undergo a slow recovery process.
High level of stress
If you experience long term stress, there is a greater possibility that your immunity is weakened. Stress reduces the white blood cells which combat viral and bacterial infections.
Now we are coming towards the climax of this discussion. That is how you should boost your immunity.
How you should boost your immunity?
- Maintain a proper diet.
As we discussed earlier, immunity and malnutrition has positive correlation. Your diet is a deciding factor of your immunity. Food is the fuel that runs the engine of your body. Malnutrition can basically impair the production and activity of immune cells and antibodies. Specially, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, iron and protein are the major nutrients that helps the growth of immune cells and its functions. Constant intake of ultra processed foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats can obstruct the growth of immune cells and its functions. The diet plays a huge role in determining the type of microbes living in our intestines . Usually vitamins like A, B6,C,D and E can work as an antioxidant to protect our healthy cells. By eating a good quality diet the deficiencies of these nutrients can be minimized. We should always ensure that we eat a balanced diet rich in nutrients. In case if you are not in a position to take a balanced diet, taking a multivitamin rich in RDA can be an option. There is a popular saying that ‘ you are what you eat’ . It is applicable to this situation too . So it’s quite important to eat a healthy diet high in immune boosting nutrients. Given below are some foods you can add to your plate which helps boost your immunity.
- Citrus fruits and greens- increase the production of white blood cells. Root vegetables and greens – respond to toxins .
- Nuts seeds and greens – regulating and supporting immune system function.
- Green tea – full of antioxidants that have been shown to enhance immune system function.
- Fish and eggs – helps regulate the body’s immune response.
- Lower your stress level
Stress is a natural phenomena that occurs in our body. It’s actually a part of our life. We all experience stress in different scenarios. But if you are experiencing chronic stress it’s quite harmful to your mind and body and it can also weaken your immunity. The cortisol hormone that is created due to stress is honestly an immunity
booster. It helps limit inflammation too. But if your body gets used to constantly generated cortisol followed by stress it suppresses your immune system’s ability to combat invaders. You are required to manage your stress levels in order to prevent chronic inflammation. There are some productive ways that you can practice in your day to day life to manage stress.
- Positive thinking
You should avoid negative feelings and should try to face the problems with a positive mind set. It can really help to reduce stress and hence boost your immunity.
- Seeking external support
You can share your bitter experiences with your most trusted individuals rather than overthinking about it. It may sometimes not provide a solution for your bad situation but it will exactly minimize your mental stress and protect your immunity. Then you develop resistance to infections and diseases.
- Meditation
Meditation is not related to any religion. In brief it is being mindful , concentrating and relaxing. Meditation plays a huge role in reducing the cortisol level and thus reduces inflammation.
- Spend your leisure time with your loved ones.
We are always fine and relaxed amongst our intimates. If you are to reduce your stress, whatever it is. You can always seek company of your loved ones because they are always there to listen to you and protect you. Actually it’s the best way to protect immunity from cortisol caused by stress.
- Engage in regular exercise
It’s not actually directly involved in boosting the immunity. But it’s one of the uncountable benefits which are gained by doing regular exercises . The deciding factors are the frequency, duration and the intensity of the exercises you do. Consistency is the key of this immunity boosting process. You need to exercise daily in order to strengthen your immunity. The experts recommend a mid intensity workout if you are in the process of boosting your immunity because high intensity exercises can sometimes lead to suppression of our immune system. The ideal solution for this issue is to be active throughout the whole day . It’s not only good for your immunity but also affects your body’s overall health.
- Avoid smoking
Smoking is the worst habit one could have in their lifetime. It’s a risk factor that causes many other diseases and reduce life span. The worst side of smoking is that you are not an active smoker you may have the risk of inhaling tobacco smoke from your environment which is called, passive smoking. So it’s not only important to avoid smoking by yourself but also necessary to avoid active smokers. Smoking not only causes cancer but also compromises the balance of the immune system and harms your immunity. Additionally active smokers tend to suffer from pneumonia and influenza due to the loss of the equilibrium of the
immunity. Our body doesn’t react against the invaders once our immunity is weakened. If you want to boost your immunity, quitting smoking is a must. If you are an active smoker by now, there’s no need to worry, you can stop smoking at least now so that your immune system is no longer exposed to tar and nicotine. You still have the opportunity to boost your immunity and make your immune system stronger.
- Always stay hydrated.
A greater percentage of our body composition consists of water. Water plays a major role in supporting your immunity too. We lose water from our body regularly by means of sweat, urine, bowel movement etc… It’s a fact that we constantly lose water through breath . It’s very important to restore the amount of water we lose. The amount of water intake may vary from individual to individual . The deciding factors are age, gender, amount of sweat, medications etc… but generally we can follow the 8×8 rule. That is 8 ounce glasses of water every day. Our immunity can be boosted by simply drinking a bottle of water. Our immune cells are mainly in our blood and lymph. Water is very important for the blood and lymph to circulate throughout the body. If you are interested in triggering immunity levels, hydration is quite essential.
- Get adequate sleep
Normally, we keep a low concentration on our sleep. We give less priority to sleeping. But do you know that sleep and immunity are so closely tied. Sleeping is a natural immunity booster. It may strengthen your immunity. Adults are expected to have at least 7 hours of sleep every night. People who do not get quality and enough sleep are more likely to get sick . And lack of sleep badly affects the recovery speed as well. Sleep provides essential support to the immune system. Sleep deprivation in the long run and short run can make you sick because it harms your immunity.
In contrast, sleeping problems can interfere with the healthy functioning of the immune system. During sleep the body frees up the energy for immunity. We are all aware of the illness caused due to sleep deprivation and a greater part of them are due to our weak immunity.
If you maintain your mental, physical and body condition healthy you will have a healthy immune system and of course your immunity itself will protect you from foreign invaders.
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