Keeping immune system at its optimum level is important to protect your body. When you have weakened immune system, the pathogen, bacteria and viruses have the chance to invade your body and cells which leads to infections and illnesses. If you are experiencing frequent infections, always get cold, or feel tired all the time, you may have a weakened immune system.
You will think that we always need to boost up our immune system. However, there are cases where you may have overactive immune system. Overactive immune system is when your immune system reacts to substances in the environment that are normally harmless to our body or even worse by attacking your own cells which causes autoimmune disorder. Some of the conditions causes by overactive immune system are allergic reaction, asthma, eczema and certain arthritis.
There are some ways you can adhere in your daily life to keep your immune system at its optimum level:
Eat balanced diet
A balanced diet provides you nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fibres for your body. Whole foods like fruits and vegetables also provide antioxidants that help you in combatting harmful pathogens and free radicals. High antioxidants can decrease inflammation in your body and improve your immune system functions.
Get enough sleep
Your body need to rest in order to function at its best. Adults are recommended to have at least 7 hours of sleep every night, teens are recommended to have at least 8 hours of sleep every night, children are recommended to have at least 9 hours of sleep every night.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise can help improve your immune system function and increase your metabolism rate. Regular moderate exercise can help reduce your inflammation level in your body. You should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, some examples of moderate exercise include brisk walking, jogging, swimming and cycling.
Relieve your stress
Managing your stress is important for your immune system functions. Having high level of stress for a long period of time promotes inflammation and imbalances your immune system function. Engage in some activities you enjoy is crucial to manage your stress from your hectic life.
Do not smoke
Smoking increases your risk in developing a variety of health conditions, it may also affect the health of others around you such as your family members and friends. Smoking not only increases the risk of cancer but also may increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Smoking also increases the inflammation in your body and affect your immune functions.
Avoid alcohol or drink in moderation
Drinking alcohol in excess impairs your immune system functions which reduce the efficiency of your immune response. You should avoid or aim to limit intake to 2 drinks or less a day for men or 1 drunk or less in a day for women.
You can keep your immune system at its optimum level by adhering a healthy lifestyle. It may be hard to change your lifestyle at the beginning, but it will pay off to have a healthy body and immune system in a long run.
