The Best Way to Boost Your Immune System

>We’ve all realised the need for a robust immune system after the onset of COVID-19. Besides a solid immune system, social distancing and maintaining hygiene are also highly necessary to keep away from contagious viral infections. But how do you improve your immune system overall to keep away from illness on an everyday basis?

>When it comes to finding a good way to boost immunity, >tweaking your lifestyle and diet can help your body combat harmful pathogens or organisms that cause various infections. However, what works even better are natural, plant-based supplements that safely enhance your immunity from within. This article provides several natural ways to boost the immune system.

10 Tips To Boost Your Immune System

>To boost the immune system> in the most powerful manner, explore the following tips to bring about significant changes in your overall health.

#1. Get adequate sleep

>Sleep and immunity are interconnected. Insufficient sleep can make you more vulnerable to sickness/infections. Studies have shown that persons who sleep for less than 6 hours every night are more susceptible to cold. It is observed that during sickness, you tend to sleep more. The reason is getting enough rest can itself help boost immunity.> Sleeping more when sick helps your body’s immune system combat the pathogens better.

>Adults need to sleep for at least 7 hours while teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep and infants need 14 hours of sleep for a strong immune system. If you are not able to sleep well, you should try to reduce your screen time. You should keep away from mobiles and laptops that emit blue light. Light will imbalance our circadian rhythm, which will result in sleeplessness.

>Keeping up a proper schedule for sleep time and trying to sleep in dark rooms could help your sleep better.

#2. Increase your intake of plant foods

>Consume more plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants. This will help you to derive the strength to fight pathogens and will make you less susceptible to infections.

>The antioxidants loaded in these plant foods will fight free radicals and prevent inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to serious issues like cardiovascular disease and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

>Gut health is very important for a robust immune system. The fibres in these plant foods help in maintaining gut health. Also, some plant foods are rich in Vitamin C, which can reduce the span of infections.

#3. Add healthy fats to your diet

>Salmon and Olive oil contain healthy fats that enhance the body’s immune response to the virus that causes infections by inhibiting inflammation. You tend to have some level of inflammation when stressed or have an injury, but chronic inflammation can disrupt your body’s immunity.

>The anti-inflammatory properties of these healthy fats lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 bacteria and will boost immunity >and help fight disease-causing viruses or bacteria.

>Omega 3 fatty acids that are derived from salmon and chia seeds also help in combating inflammation.

#4. Consume fermented foods

>Add fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, pickles, kimchi etc., to your diet. Fermented foods contain probiotics (good bacteria) that are very essential for gut health. Probiotics boost immune system >and help identify harmful pathogens and target them. If you are unable to consume fermented foods, you can also consider including probiotic supplements in your diet.

#5. Reduce your sugar intake

>Refined carbs and sugars contribute significantly to issues like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, all of which will curb your immune system. To boost immunity, >you should try to curtail sugar intake to the extent of 5% of your daily calories. Reducing sugar intake will decrease inflammation and reduce the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

#6. Exercise!

>Long hours of strenuous physical activity may repress your immune system. But moderate exercise can be a route to boost immune system.> Consistent moderate exercise may inhibit inflammation and help replenish immune cells regularly. You can engage in brisk walks, cycling, swimming, jogging or hiking.

#7. Drink plenty of water

>Staying hydrated has several benefits and also helps in boosting the immune system. Dehydration can cause discomforts like headache, indigestion and hamper your physical performance and the functioning of the heart and kidney. These issues can make you vulnerable to infections.

>Consuming plenty of liquids, especially water is very crucial if you have to boost immunity. >Though beverages like tea and coffee, as well as fruit juices, can keep you hydrated, it is best recommended to avoid them due to their high sugar content, which is not good for the immune system. You may need to increase the consumption of fluids even more if you are into strenuous physical activities or live in a hot climate.

#8. Curb your stress levels

>It's critical to understand the effect of stress on your health, especially how it affects your immune system. It is immaterial whether stress builds up gradually or instantly but what is important is the impact it has on the body’s immune system.

>If the stress is ongoing, frequent and persistent, your body reacts immensely to stress by giving a push to the stress reaction. Stress reaction impacts your immune system negatively and increases the risk of falling sick.

>Stress one experiences may be different from what another person experiences, and so are the mechanisms that cope with stress. It is imperative to understand how to identify stress, and it can impact your health heavily.

>To cope with stress, you should engage in mindful activities like meditation, yoga, prayer or exercise. Stress management will help to boost immunity.

#9. Choose the right supplements!

>Including the right supplements in your diet will be of great help to boost immunity. >Some of the supplements that can help boost immune system >are:

Vitamin C:> Studies have shown that consuming 1000 to 2000 mg of Vitamin C may help reduce the duration of cold to the extent of about 8%.

Vitamin D>: Deficiency in Vitamin D can put you at the risk of falling sick. Consuming Vitamin D supplements will nullify this effect.

Zinc: >The intake of Zinc up to 75 mg per day will reduce the span of the common cold by 33%.

Garlic: >Garlic supplements help in dealing with common colds very efficiently.

Vitamin B6: >Chemical reactions in the immune system are aided by Vitamin B6, enabling it to perform efficiently. Consuming Vitamin B6 protects your body against infections.

Vitamin E:> The antioxidant properties of Vitamin E help in fighting free radicals and reduce the risk of infections. Vitamin E boosts immunity> and reduces oxidative stress.

#10. Get vaccinated when advised

>Vaccines help boost immunity and provide us with the possibility to protect ourselves against serious diseases. Your immune system is smart: it can identify and target pathogens that cause infections. Vaccinations further help the immune system in recognising new pathogens that keep invading the body and targeting them.

>Your immune system will learn much more safely through vaccination than through direct contact with these dangerous pathogens.

>It's crucial to stay up to date with all advised immunizations to boost immunity.

Conclusion

>To boost immune system>, it is necessary to make small changes to your lifestyle and diet. Deriving the best vitamins and nutrients from dietary sources through a balanced diet is very important. Besides getting good sleep every night and keeping yourself stress-free can be of great help to boost immunity.

>For an effective immunity boost, you can try Setu’s Immunity: Boost supplements available in the form of shots as well as strips. The recommended dosage of these immunity boost supplements can improve your overall health and upgrade your life.