Top tips for boosting your immune system
If you think your immune system is weak or winter makes it weaker, just making 3 of these 10 changes can improve it dramatically.
1. Get plenty of sleep and rest. Your body rejuvenates and strengthens when it's at rest so try and get between eight and ten hours a night.
Find out how sleep affects your immune system
2. Eat a balanced diet. Eating foods with high antioxidant levels (also known as superfoods) are great for your immune system. Fruit and vegetables, dairy products, melons, berries, dark greens, whole grains, and meat are all superfoods. Antioxidants are vitamins in your diet that can reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases and can give your immune system a boost.
For more info have a look at our Foods that are better than medicine pages
3. Get moving! Exercise makes our body stronger, increases circulation of blood and nutrients, and helps flush the body of toxins.
Read more about exercise and your immune system
4. Drink plenty of water. This also helps flush the body of toxins and keeps you well hydrated.
5. Music cleanses the soul. Listening to your favorite music is a great way of reducing tension. You'll know what kind of music gives you goosebumps or cheers you up so focus on those to lift your mood.
6. Turn down the volume though! Excessive noise can have an impact on your immune system and can leave you stressed or with a thumping headache so avoid having the TV turned right up, music blaring or the kids within 5 metres of you!
7. Laughter is the best medicine. It may be a cliche but it's actually true. Laughing reduces stress hormones like adrenaline and increases your immune system cells that attack viruses.
8. Try not to take too many antibiotics or tablets. If you reach for a paracetamol every time you feel a headache coming on or regularly take antibiotics you could be damaging your immune system - your body will start to rely on the tablets rather than itself to get better.
9. Have more sex! When you're ill it's not exactly the first thing on your mind but increasing how much sex you have acts in the same way that exercise does. It releases 'feel good' hormones and gives you loads more energy. Energy your body needs to carry on fighting the diseases.
10. Give up smoking, or at least try cutting down. You don't really need an excuse to give up the fags with all the warnings that are out there but it's worth thinking long term about you and the people around you.
Find out more about how smoking affects your immune system
Where next?
- Our top ten superfoods
- Foods that are better than medicine
- Tips on giving up smoking
- Find out how to avoid winter coughs and colds
- Do you really need to see the doctor? Find out who else can help
- Bring some more romance into your life
- Feeling down? Try our Beat The Blues Diet
- Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Get the facts about old wives' tales
By Vicky Woollaston
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