Keeping Your Immune System Strong During Sick Season

It’s the dead of winter and the height of sick season.

Cold, flu, RSV, and Covid. All ready and waiting to bring you down faster than Ralphie from the Magic School Bus.

No one likes to be laid up in bed and miserable for a week while they watch life pass by and work pile up. And, for the unlucky, a bout of Covid or RSV can be devastating, causing long-term or even chronic effects.

With this in mind, it’s important to do all we can to boost our immunity and avoid transmission:

Observe the preventative measures recommended by medical professionals and researchers.

These are common practices, but it’s always good to have a reminder.

Stay up to date on vaccinations. Wash your hands and don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth when out and about. Disinfect items you’ve brought back into the house, specifically dirty keys, phones, and laptops. Mask up in crowded indoor spaces, go to spots at off times, or avoid these places altogether. Wipe down surfaces and bathrooms frequently, especially after house guests. Forgo close contact with those you know are ailing and extend the same courtesy to others if you get sick.

Be consistent with dietary habits, exercise, and sleep.

Again, this is a no-brainer. Well-balanced eating and good routines for rest and physical activity are the building blocks of health.

What isn’t so obvious is the consistency aspect. Some people seem to think that eating an orange every once in a while or going for a quick walk around the block during their lunch break will be magical cure-alls. But, the immune system is a complex network that requires all things in perfect balance all the time. A pattern of healthy behaviors is the key to strengthening your immunity.

When planning your weekly recipes and meal prep, work in an array of nutrient-dense and fiber-rich colorful produce, lean proteins, and complex grains. These foods provide adequate vitamins and minerals to stimulate immune cell production and function. Bulk up on probiotic foods to aid digestion, such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso, and pickles. A healthy gut microbiome helps to ensure immune homeostasis.

Research has proven that thirty to forty-five minutes of daily moderate exercise increases the presence and circulation of cytokines and lymphocytes, which are key to antibody production and the immune response. But, remember, this must be ‘moderate’ and ‘consistent’ exercise. Don’t go crazy with high intensity workouts that last more than an hour a day. This can actually have the opposite effect, exhausting cells and making them more susceptible to invaders.

Seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep each night recharges cells and helps produce more cytokines for immunity. Set your thermostat cooler, wear socks to bed, use a white noise machine (such as rain sounds), and get yourself an eye mask or some blackout curtains. These small additions to your routine will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep. By mitigating disruptions during the middle of the night, you can prevent chronic sleep deprivation, which is detrimental to immune health.

Staying hydrated is also essential.

The benefits of getting your eight glasses a day are innumerable. Specifically for immune health, water enhances nutrient absorption, increases stomach acid production to remove bacteria from digestion, flushes viruses from the respiratory tract, improves mucus production in the nostrils to trap germs before they enter the body, supports sweat production to release toxins, and boosts lymph fluid to better remove bodily waste.

Get some sunshine.

Sunshine is a great natural source of Vitamin D, which activates T-cells in the fight against pathogens. Don’t forget to be mindful of absorbing too many harmful UV rays, though. Protect your skin from cancer with sunscreen and/or a sun parasol, even on cloudy winter days.

At the end of your hot shower, turn the faucet to cold and take a 30-second icy plunge before getting out.

The temperature shift from warm to cool improves lymphatic circulation by creating muscle contractions throughout the body to pump lymph fluid. This technique combined with regular exercise and hydration helps prevent a build-up of toxins in the body and clear out bacteria, dead cells, and other bad microbes.

Be cautious of the amount of caffeine you drink and time of day you drink it.

Healthy amounts of coffee and tea are high in antioxidants and studies have shown they can provide long-term benefits against disease. However, too much caffeine can not only hinder sleep when enjoyed too late in the day, but it can also prevent the absorption of nutrients, both of which are detrimental to the immune system. Be sure to only enjoy a cup a day and try to drink earlier in the day and at least an hour before or after mealtimes, so you can fall asleep at night and reap all the benefits of healthy eating.

Utilize warm salt water rinses.

The proper use of a Neti pot helps to hydrate the mucus membranes in your nasal passages in the same way drinking water does. This helps strengthen that barrier of defense against airborne microorganisms. Also, swishing a teaspoon of salt with eight ounces of warm water orally helps to kill off bacteria lingering in the mouth.

Be wary of excess inflammation.

Normal inflammation is the body’s line of defense against infection or injury, but chronic diseases and unchecked allergens can lead to an excess cytokine response and persistent inflammation, over-stimulating your natural immune response and leaving your defenses weakened when sickness comes your way. If you think you’re suffering from chronic illness or allergy symptoms, visit your doctor to address these underlying issues. They can arrange a treatment plan, as well as develop a diet for you centered around anti-inflammatory foods, such as omega-3 salmon and leafy greens, while cutting out refined sugars, processed simple carbohydrates, red meats, and alcohol.

Reduce chronic stress in your life.

In short bursts, stress-induced cortisol is anti-inflammatory and can boost immunity. But, if you find yourself under constant pressure, your body may have continuously elevated cortisol levels, suppressing immune cell functions and signaling. Prevent last-minute headaches by leaving early for events, not procrastinating on tasks, and chipping away at big projects a little at a time. Practice meditation and breathing techniques. Enjoy a hobby that you find relaxing. And, if anxiety is impacting your ability to function on a daily basis, seek a mental health professional for treatment.