As the winter approaches and things like the flu and Covid become more of a threat, it is very important to have a strong immune system. You may be taking measures to stay healthy by doing things like taking powdered Vitamin C and probiotic supplements. However, those efforts are undermined by other things you could be doing that actually lower your immune system.
There are a lot of common mistakes that people make that reduce their ability to maintain a strong immune system. This causes them to come down with colds and flu more often than they think they should. In this article, we will go over some of the common mistakes to avoid so your immune system stays strong.
1 – Smoking and drinking
If you are a smoker then it doesn’t matter how many supplements you take and how healthy your diet is. Smoking is doing a number on your immune system and leaving you susceptible to a variety of illnesses.
Your body is going to be using a lot of its resources to try to heal your lungs from the damage that the cigarettes are doing to you. In fact, you may even develop an autoimmune problem as a result of asthma caused by smoking that results in your body fighting healthy cells by accident. This makes it impossible for your immune system to stay strong.
Drinking is also a factor so if you often go out for drinks after work then you are damaging your body’s ability to fend off diseases. A few drinks a day is enough to slow down the response of the immune system to fight off pathogens leaving you exposed to a lot of diseases.
2 – Not getting enough sleep
Life can be incredibly busy and when it does, sleep usually takes a back seat. If you feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get things done then you are probably on the verge of being sleep-deprived. This can then cause your immune system to get weakened and opens the door to a lot of illnesses.
Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is essential to give the body time to repair itself and for the immune system to strengthen itself. The response by the immune system to antigens is slower and allows them to build up since you aren’t sleeping enough.
3 – You don’t manage your stress
Stress is an immune system killer since the hormone cortisol is produced when you start feeling it. This hormone causes inflammation in the body and will invite a lot of pathogens that overwhelm the immune system.
It is easier said than done to manage stress, however, it is a mistake to not take measures to not feel stressed too often. There are things you can do to reduce stress. One is meditating when you feel tension starting to set in. You can also go for a walk in nature or workout since exercise produces serotonin which will beat back the cortisol your stress has produced.
