6 Practical Tips to Boost Your Immune System
Strengthening your immune system has never been more important. Decrease your chances of getting sick with these 6 practical tips.
Your immune system is like your shield against germs and infectious diseases. It defends and fights them off by creating, storing, and distributing white blood cells that fight bacteria and viruses that enter your body.
But, how do you stay free of illness—or at least decrease your chances of getting sick?
Well, the short and sweet answer is to live a healthy lifestyle. But since that’s rather broad, we’ve compiled a list of our top 6 tips to help boost your immune system so that you can stay healthy and disease-free.
1. Take Your Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulating supplement that fights off respiratory infections, including COVID-19.
In a randomized study conducted in 2002, 168 volunteers received either a placebo or a Vitamin C supplement for 60 days.
And the results were in favor of Vitamin C as being one of the best natural products to boost your immune system—with participants taking Vitamin C having significantly fewer colds (37 vs 50), fewer days challenged virally (85 vs 178), and a shorter duration of severe symptoms (1.8 vs 3.1).
So the next time you go to the grocery store, you will want to add foods that are high in Vitamin C to your list. These include foods like oranges, peppers, strawberries, broccoli, and potatoes.
2. Get Some Sun (but not too much)
Yes, exposure to sunlight should be limited to reduce the production of genetic mutations and the formation of cancer, but there are positive effects that come along with the sun too.
Not only is sunlight critical for energy, light, and warmth, it’s also critical for its ability to induce Vitamin D synthesis, which performs several roles within the immune system as well as enhances bone health.
A deficiency in vitamin D—also called the sunshine vitamin—has been reported by those with autoimmune disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and infectious diseases.
With that being said, put on your sunscreen and get outside to get some sun (but not too much!). Your immune system will thank you for it.
3. Talk to Loved Ones
Maintaining and deepening relationships with friends and family is one of the best things you can do for your immunity.
Studies show that loneliness is linked to increased vascular resistance, increased systolic blood pressure, and altered immunity.
If you don’t have friends or family near you, or you are social distancing due to COVID-19, pick up the phone and give them a call! You can even get creative and do a lunch date or happy hour over Zoom—all without leaving the comfort of your own home.
4. Eat Your Fruits & Veggies
Nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables are a staple in a healthy immune system.
The reason being is because of their high fiber content, which creates a healthier microbiome, which creates a healthier immune system.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), daily food and vegetable intake should be 400 grams a day, which equates to approximately 5 portions.
Depending on the country, they even suggest opting for higher fiber fruits like root vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, and onions.
5. Get Restorative Sleep
Do you ever have those weeks where you’re so busy that you sleep a few hours less than usual?
And what usually happens with less sleep?
If you’re like us, you fall victim to a weakened immune system, which means...you get sick.
This is because sleep and the circadian system (your sleep-wake cycle) have a strong regulatory influence on your immune functions.
The popular wisdom is that “sleep helps healing”, and experts from the Sleep Foundation recommend the following:
- 14 to 17 hours of sleep per day for newborns
- 12 to 15 hours a day for infants
- 8 to 10 hours for teens
- 7 to 9 hours for adults
Although this is a good recommendation to go off of, it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how much sleep one should get each night.
6. Take a Full Spectrum CBD
The word is out: A natural product like full-spectrum CBD is optimal for immunity.
As an immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agent, full-spectrum CBD interacts with receptors in the immune system, which has consistently shown to benefit numerous immune-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, septic shock, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergic asthma.
Although more studies are needed to confirm CBD’s positive effects on enhanced immunity for those suffering from autoimmune diseases, we are certain that CBD is an anti-inflammatory, and inflammation is the cause of many autoimmune diseases.
We recommend our CBD Oil for Balance. This will put your body back in a state of bliss and balance.
How to Take CBD Oil
Wondering how to take CBD oil and get the best results?
Lucky for you, supplementing with CBD is as easy as 1-2-3…
- Shake well and start by taking one dropperful.
- Hold it under your tongue for 60-90 seconds so that it absorbs fully into your bloodstream.
- After 15-30 minutes, take note of how your body feels with that dosage. If you feel like you would benefit from a higher dosage, wait 2 to 4 hours and increase the dosage by 5 milligrams.
The Bottom Line on Immunity
Take the time to care for your body and boost your immune system. Enhanced immunity and vitality are a direct byproduct of how seriously you take your self-care practice, and it has never been more important.
Since the start of the worldwide pandemic early last year, people have been scrambling to live healthier lifestyles.
Luckily, there are simple, natural ways to give your immune system the extra help it needs to function optimally.
Start with these 6 simple tips, and you’ll be off to a great start.
|O L|ONES Team
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