How to naturally boost your immunity?
The body’s immunity is influenced by many factors. How can you easily take care of your immunity? How can you easily strengthen your immune system? Discover simple methods!
Many aspects of lifestyle affect how the body manages to avoid infections. Stress in our society is responsible for the development of many diseases. The same applies to immunity—stress significantly disrupts the proper functioning of the immune system. It is essential to find ways to cope with daily stress, not only for the sake of boosting immunity.
Of course, there are other simple methods that help with this. How can you naturally strengthen your immunity? Find out!
What is the body’s immunity?
The immune system is the first line of defense when pathogenic microorganisms invade the body. Lymphocytes (white blood cells) produce antibodies, which are chemical compounds that neutralize pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins). When there are too few lymphocytes, they cannot handle the intruder in the body, and germs begin to multiply rapidly. This proliferation of microorganisms can manifest as a cough, runny nose, headaches, or elevated temperature. Can anything be done to avoid this? Of course! You need to take care of your immune system and thus strengthen your body’s immunity.
How to strengthen immunity?
Temperature
It is important to maintain the appropriate temperature in the rooms you stay in – the optimal temperature in living spaces is considered to be 18-22°C. This temperature ensures high thermal comfort and helps maintain air humidity at around 30%. Maintaining the right temperature at home significantly impacts health, concentration, and sleep quality. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the temperature difference between rooms is not too large. Too high a temperature in rooms worsens well-being and increases susceptibility to infections due to the drying of mucous membranes. Furthermore, a significant temperature difference between the inside of the house and the outside environment can also contribute to weakened immunity.
Clothing
Always ensure proper clothing when going out to prevent the body from getting cold or overheating. Physical activity outdoors has an incredibly beneficial effect on health and well-being, so it’s worth engaging in it regardless of the weather. Just choose the right clothing – there’s no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. The key principles to follow are common sense and adapting to current weather conditions rather than habits or the calendar.
Sleep
Adequate quantity and quality of sleep are essential for the body’s regeneration. Too short a recovery period increases susceptibility to infections. It is generally accepted that an adult needs about 8 hours of sleep per day. During sleep, the number of lymphocytes in the body increases. Therefore, sleep deficiency directly weakens the immune system. Noise during sleep (even not very loud, like the hum of appliances) increases adrenaline levels in the body, causing stress and weakening immunity. To improve sleep quality, it’s essential to sleep in darkness and silence, as this promotes the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) in the pineal gland, which regulates the circadian rhythm and supports the immune system.
Diet
Providing vitamins and minerals is another key element for the proper functioning of the immune system. Sometimes, due to the body’s unique condition or other special circumstances, proper nutrition alone may not be sufficient. In such cases, dietary supplements and probiotics can be an excellent solution. They should be used consciously and judiciously, preferably after consulting a doctor. Supplements that support the immune system include vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, rutin, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Physical activity
Moderate physical activity, especially outdoors, is an excellent way to strengthen immunity. It’s essential to choose activities that bring joy and do not overly tire the body. Excessive exercise can produce lactic acid (muscle soreness) and cortisol (the stress hormone), negatively impacting the immune system. Great options to boost immunity include walking, slow jogging, Nordic walking, cycling, and swimming.
Hardening the body
Hardening the body involves alternately exposing it to high and low temperatures to reduce thermal sensitivity and improve endurance. This process helps the body become more resistant to external factors. However, it should be done gradually and with all necessary precautions. Before starting hardening procedures, ensure you are completely healthy. Major contraindications include rheumatic issues, hypertension, and coronary diseases.
Simple methods for hardening the body include:
- Showers with alternating cold and warm water. Start with a 20-second cold stream from the extremities towards the heart, followed by a 40-second warm stream in the opposite direction. Typically, this cycle is repeated 2 to 8 times.
- Soaking feet in cold water or walking, for example, in snow or along the seashore, for a few minutes. Immediately warm the feet after cooling.
- Alternating sauna sessions with cool showers. Spend 5 to 15 minutes in the sauna without a break, then cool off with a warm/cool shower from the extremities towards the heart. Usually, 2-3 sauna sessions are recommended.
To achieve the benefits of hardening, it must be done regularly.
Hygiene
Personal hygiene and hand washing are fundamental and worth mentioning. The simplest and cheapest way to prevent infection is regular hand washing, especially after using the restroom or returning home from public places. It’s also useful to carry hand sanitizer, which is invaluable in many situations.
Daily lifestyle choices significantly impact health – the body needs balance to function correctly. The immune system is also linked to the nervous system, so any stress disrupts their cooperation. Therefore, in addition to following the aforementioned rules, it is also worth spending some time daily on relaxation and unwinding.
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