5 ways to boost your immune system

So with the Government consistently reviewing guidelines and making recommendations on the best way to stay healthy during the recent pandemic, we fear they have omitted one glaringly obvious piece of advice…

And that is how, as an individual, YOU can focus on yourself and help to nurture your own immune system, so it does its work to protect you.

Check out our top 5 tips on how you can work to support your own immune system

1 – Regular Exercise

Regular exercise works to stimulate the immune system and increase blood flow around the body, helping support detoxification and delivery of immune supporting cells to the sites it is required.

It is important however that we focus on keeping the exercise to a moderate to vigorous level and ensure it is not too intense… Overly intense exercise will act to suppress the immune system while we are in the over trained state or the body works to repair the stress caused by it.

2 – Sleep

Sleeping for greater than 7 hours per night is one of the greatest things we can do for the body as a whole and it works to promote health in almost every area you can conceive, including within the immune system.

During optimal sleep greater levels of immune cells will be produced and increase in effectiveness, whilst we will also produce more cytokines to assist in the dealing of any inflammation in the body.

Sleeping sub-optimally (or under 6 hours per night) acts to suppress these actions leaving us prone to more illness and disease.

3 – Nasal Breathing

We are designed as humans to breath predominantly through our nostrils in all conditions outside of highly stressed or vigorous activity and doing so will decrease the number of pathogens we take into the system. The nasal cavity is designed in this way and protects us more than mouth breathing, so focus on your nasal breathing practices in all conditions including through aerobic exercise where possible.

4 – Gut Health

With 80% of your immune system housed within your gut it is essential to do all you can to protect it. Focus on a diet high in naturally produced foods, fruits and vegetables to ensure you are getting the right mix of good quality macro, and micronutrients. The addition of fermented foods can also work to assist with the balancing of healthy bacteria in the gut

Maybe supporting the systems with the addition of a multi-vitamin, and probiotics can also serve to ensure the maintenance of a healthy gut.

5 – Alcohol

Finally, alcohol, and whilst I am sure we all enjoy a good drink particularly at weekends, drinking to excess works to suppress the immune system and increase our susceptibility to illness and disease. Avoid drinking every night or binge drinking to excess, if you truly want to keep your immune system healthy, focus on drinking responsibly and within govt. Guidelines.

Take responsibility over your own health and do all you can to support a healthy future.

If you have any questions please drop us a line.