Immunity is the ability of the body to defend itself from disease causing cells, tissues & other substances by producing immune responses especially through preventing development of a pathogenic microorganism or by counteracting the effects of its products.
The immune system is what protects your body from diseases and infections. The immune system includes various parts of the body including the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, special deposits of lymphoid tissue (such as those in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow), macrophages, lymphocytes including the B cells and T cells, and antibodies.
1) Have A Healthy Diet
People have misconceptions when it comes to diet. Having a healthy diet is not about staying thin, or having limited consumption or not eating at all. Rather, it’s about eating various foods which have combination of nutrients which makes you feel great, gives more energy, improves your health, and boosts your mood.
By following above tips, you can get clear cut idea how your diet should be & follow a tasty, mixed, and nutritious diet that is not only good for your body but also good for your mind as well.
According to the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid represents the latest nutritional science. The widest part at the bottom cycle is considered very important. The foods at the top cycle should be taken moderately.
2) Reduce your stress
These days it’s hard not to get overwhelmed once in a while. Between juggling work, family, and other commitments, you can become too stressed out and busy.
Stresses can affect your body, thoughts and feelings and your behaviour.
There are many effective stress-reduction techniques; the key is to find what works for you. You can start by meditation, cycling, swimming or any outdoor activity that you enjoy. Keep a habit of practising one stress reducing activity every day.
3) Get good night sleep
It is very important to get good night sleep, as your body restores and revive while you sleep, getting good amount of sleep is vital for a healthy immune system.
More specifically, sleep is a time when your body produces and distributes key immune cells like cytokines (a type of protein that can either fight or promote inflammation), T cells (a type of white blood cell that regulates immune response), and interleukin 12 (a pro-inflammatory cytokine), according to a review published in Pflugers Archiv European Journal of Physiology.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system may not do these things as well, making it less able to defend your body against harmful invaders and making you more likely to get sick. One study published in the July–August 2017 issue of Behavioral Sleep Medicine found that compared with healthy young adults who did not have sleep problems, otherwise healthy young adults with insomnia were more susceptible to the flu even after getting vaccinated.
Sleep deprivation also elevates cortisol levels, which of course is also not good for immune function.
Our immune system wears down as a result, and we tend to have [fewer] reserves to fight off or recover from illness.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends all adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night to optimize health. To ensure you get quality sleep, prioritize good sleep hygiene: Turn off the electronics at least two to three hours before bed, and avoid violent or stressful books or conversations.
4) Start exercising regularly
Regular exercise lowers your risk of developing chronic diseases (like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease), as well as viral and bacterial infections, according to a review in Frontiers in Immunology in April 2018.
The advantages of doing exercise is it releases endorphins (a group of hormones that reduce pain and create feelings of pleasure) making it a great way to manage stress. Since stress negatively impacts our immune system, to counter it we have to exercise, which can improve immune system.
At a minimum, try to meet the physical activity guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adults should be getting at least 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like walking, jogging, or cycling) or 75 minutes (one hour and 15 minutes) of high-intensity aerobic exercise (like running) every week.
Spend some time with nature, with your loved ones and play with your pets. Doing these activities will help you lower your stress and also lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and support immune system.
5) Limit your alcohol consumption
Drinking high amounts of alcohol is associated with a range of negative health effects, including lowered immune function. When you drink high amounts of alcohol, your body is too busy trying to detoxify your system to bother with normal immune system function.
According to a review published in the journal Alcohol Research in 2015, high levels of alcohol consumption can weaken your body’s ability to fight infection and slow down your recovery time. As a result, people who drink high amounts of alcohol face a greater likelihood of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, alcoholic liver disease, and certain cancers, according to the same review.
If you don’t already drink, don’t start. If you drink occasionally, limit your alcohol consumption to one drink (equivalent to a 4-ounce glass of wine) per day if you’re a woman, and two drinks per day if you’re a man, as recommended by the NIH.
6) Stop smoking cigarette
Smoking Cigarettes can severely damage your immune system. Anything that’s a toxin can compromise your immune system.
In particular, the chemicals released by cigarette smoke — carbon monoxide, nicotine, nitrogen oxides, and cadmium — can interfere with growth and function of immune cells, like cytokines, T cells, and B cells, according to a November 2016 review in Oncotarget.
If you currently smoke, there are many resources available to help you kick your habit, including counseling, nicotine replacement products, prescription non-nicotine medications, and behavioral therapy, according to the CDC.
7) Keep chronic symptoms under control
Chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease, and diabetes can affect the immune system and increase risk of infections.
For example, when people with type 2 diabetes don’t manage their blood sugar properly, this can create a chronic, low-grade inflammatory response that weakens the body’s defense system, according to an October 2019 review in Current Diabetes Reviews.
If you manage your chronic conditions better, you’ll free up more reserves to help your body fight off infection. So be sure to stay on top of any medications, doctor visits, and healthy habits that keep your symptoms at bay. Your immune system will THANK. YOU.
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