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The immune system is an integral part of our body’s defense mechanism. It helps our body defend against a myriad of different viruses, bacteria, parasites, and more. They are a vast network of biological structures that is spread throughout our body and involves many types of cells and tissues. Our immune system is constantly on the lookout for any unwanted invaders that may enter our body by distinguishing our tissue from foreign tissue.

Whether it’s offering us protection from a common cold, a nasty fever, or even covid-19, our immune system is constantly working throughout the day and it never stops. But sometimes it could fail to detect invaders and allow germs to enter our body successfully which is the reason why we get sick.  Let’s take a closer look at how we can help boost our immune system and keep nasty viruses at bay!

Some ways we can boost our immune system:

1. Boosting immune system through nutrition

One of the best ways we can help to boost our immune system is by ensuring our body gets sufficient amounts of nutrients that it needs. Eating a healthy and balanced meal including an increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables can go a long way to building up your immune system. This is because your body uses important nutrients like vitamins A, C, E, B, and D, and minerals such as iron or zinc to build your immune system.

This is also why a lot of people turn to oranges or other citrus fruits when they have a flu, as citrus fruits contain vitamin C that increases the production of white blood cells, which is important in fighting infections in our body. The trouble with vitamin C is that our body does not produce this important nutrient, neither does it store it. To make things more complicated, important minerals like zinc and iron are harder to come by from only our diet.

If you are having trouble consuming enough crucial nutrients from your diet alone, it is advisable to take multivitamins, multiminerals, or food supplements to ensure your body has what it needs to boost your immune system.

2. Exercise

It has been shown that regular exercise whether light or heavy, can help to boost your immune system as well as fighting off infections. This is because exercising increases our blood flow, reduces stress, and strengthens our antibodies which allows our immune cells to perform more efficiently. Besides, regular exercise is proven to help reduce the risk of other health issues like heart diseases, respiratory illnesses, and more while improving mental health. Which brings us to the next point.

3. Reduce stress

We often neglect our mental health due to our busy schedules with irregular routines which leaves limited rest time for our brain. Not to mention the work stress that piles on that could lead to other serious problems like loss of sleep, high-calorie food binging, emotional mood swings, digestion issues, and many others.

On top of that, when we are feeling stressed, our immune system just doesn’t function as well due to fluctuations in hormone levels like adrenaline, dopamine, and cortisol that decreases our body’s effectiveness at producing white blood cells. We can control our stress levels by performing stress reducing activities like exercise, meditation, or even by controlling what we eat. Food supplements are good examples of what we can take to reduce stress. This is because food supplements are packed with the right nutrients that our body absolutely needs.

Sufficient nutrition intake helps our brain to regulate our mood which in turn improves our mental wellbeing in addition to our general health.

4. Getting enough sleep

Another important factor that comes into play when we are talking about boosting our immune system is sleep. If you are lacking a good night’s sleep, your immune system takes a huge blow. This makes your body more susceptible to viral infections and inflammation. It’s recommended to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night so that our body has enough rest to repair itself and build up our immune system.

If you are having trouble getting enough sleep, you can try adopting a regular sleep schedule or perform regular exercise routines. Additionally, there are food supplements that could help with sleep management by helping to regulate our sleep cycle, sleep quality, reducing stress, and any mild depression.