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How to stay healthy by boosting your immunity this winter?
As the colder temperatures set in, the questions might be “How do I avoid getting sick this winter?” Here are six easy ways to help boost your immunity over the coming months.
1. Eat for immunity
A well balanced diet is one of the best ways to support your immune system naturally. And while it might be tempting to turn to the convenience of immune support supplements, nothing compares to a whole (i.e. unprocessed) food diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and immune boosting foods.
2. Take the time to de-stress
Stress can be bad news for our overall health and immunity because cortisol (the stress hormone) actively suppresses and weakens our immune response, leaving us more susceptible to illness and infection.
Studies recommend the following tips to help manage stress:
- Take a short break from the source of your troubles (be it work, family, finances, or any number of other things) to do something you enjoy.
- Deep breathing can have a great calming effect. Try the 4-7-8 method – breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, and exhale for eight, and repeat up to four times.
- Try progressive muscle relaxation. Starting with your hands, tense your muscles as tightly as you can for about five seconds, then relax. Slowly move down your body, doing the same with each muscle group, all the way down to your feet.
3. Prioritise sleep
One of the best ways to boost your immune system is to give it rest. Studies show that if you’re not getting enough hours or quality of sleep, not only are you more likely to get sick after being exposed to an illness – but because our bodies heal while we’re sleeping, it can take longer to recover too.
If you’re not sleeping well at night, try to factor in two short naps during the day if you can – one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and no more than 30 minutes each. Doing so has been proven to help offset the negative effects that a bad night’s sleep can have on the immune system, and reduce stress in the process.
4. Get moving every day
When it comes to benefits to our immunity, exercise has an important role. Physical activity stimulates our immune system to help find and fight off pathogens like viruses and unhealthy bacteria.
Incorporating regular exercise into your routine can also, over time, help to slow down certain aging processes which impact the immune system and make us more vulnerable to illness. Ideally, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise five days a week (or roughly 150 minutes a week), in order to start seeing these benefits.
If exercise and weight-loss is one of your top priorities, some insurers, e.g. Nib Health, offer the Healthy Lifestyle Programme* which supports the psychology of eating, sleep, stress and exercise. This includes a one-on-one session with a qualified dietician, a lifestyle planner, and educational content and challenges to keep motivated.
5. Lay off the sugar
Eating large amounts of sugar can temporarily slow down your system from attacking bad bacteria. So, reduce or try removing sugar from your diet. Look out for added sugars on food labels and be aware that sugar can also be described as sucrose, treacle, honey, glucose, fructose and agave nectar. Sugar can also impact body weight, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes so there’s lots of health motivation to restrict your sweet tooth.
6. Don’t forget the basics
Basic hygiene practices will continue to be our best line of defence, so it’s important to keep up regular and thorough washing and drying of hands, as well as coughing and sneezing into a tissue or a bent elbow.
Another incredibly important thing we can do to protect ourselves and those around us, is to get vaccinated for influenza.
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