7 tips on how to strengthen immunity

We found ourselves on the threshold of a life stage that many of us have no practical experience with. At the same time, we are not fighting a potential conqueror of the human race, but a microscopic virus whose name is already etched in our memory. We are in a situation where each new piece of news can allow our fear to burrow even deeper under our skin.

At the same time, fear and panic can be one of the greatest allies of the virus whose name we must not pronounce. Because of them, too, our defense mechanisms can begin to collapse, similar to the stock market in recent weeks. However, if immunity were a freely tradable commodity, its prices would currently rise to unimaginable values.

Immunity is something that we can influence to a certain extent (by choosing quality foods , getting enough sleep or investing in wellness procedures…well, maybe not now). However, to a large extent, it is a reflection of our lifestyle and psychological state. We can be very effective saboteurs when it comes to our health, often making wrong decisions based on psychological factors.

The sequence of incorrect decisions can then look, for example, as follows:

1. I feel increased stress due to constant news regarding the current situation.
2. This stress causes me anxiety and greatly disrupts my sleep.
3. As a result of sleep deprivation, I choose the wrong foods or drinks that I would not otherwise have.
4. As a result, I disrupt the health of my digestive tract , which is a very effective defense line of our immunity.
5. To be safe, I’ll build a bunker underground and not go out for a month , thereby depriving myself of a significant supply of vitamin D , which I was finally able to draw after months of winter hardships.

And so on and so forth…

In this article, we will imagine 7 ways in which we can make our organism a reliable fortress capable of fending off all invaders, and possibly, if they let them through its gates, deal with them in a flash.

1. Observe the basic principles of hygiene

I know we didn’t mind eating dirt as kids, and if you’re reading this now, your immune system probably handled it well (mine did too), but it probably wouldn’t be the best idea these days. And so we should do everything in our power to prevent pathogens from spreading as effectively as possible.

What can we do to improve personal hygiene?

1. avoid sick people
2. avoid places with a large concentration of people
3. wash your hands regularly
4. do not share personal things with each other (drinks, mobile phones, etc.)
5. to do what usually happens with the annual regularity of each of us –  spring cleaning
6. use disinfection on used objects or surfaces

These tips should put imaginary armor on our body. Now we move on to the principles that will arm us from the inside and allow the whole machinery called the human organism to work much more efficiently. In addition to immunity, you will then feel these effects on your productivity, whether you have a home office or commute to work. Let’s go.

2. Get enough sleep

Sleep is a topic that can be discussed in basically any type of article. Whether we’re talking about nutrition, athlete performance, sex, mental performance, or just immunity. Enough sleep will always be the member you mustn’t forget to bring with you to the party.

Its deficiency significantly impairs the function of our immune system. Playing PlayStation until 4 in the morning when school is a month away may seem like the only right choice, but if health is a priority for us, we should reconsider our approach (Bollinger et al., 2010, Irwin et al. , 2006).

Paradoxically, precisely the “dark time”, when many of us are forced to stay at home and have much fewer responsibilities, can be a good time to find a friendly sleep regime, to optimize the circadian rhythm (finding a suitable time to wake up and fall asleep), when from this “tuning” of our the internal clock will not only be used by immunity itself, but also by other areas of our life (Aschoff et al., 1981).

3. Let’s understand the role of stress and provide methods to manage it

If you are at least a little familiar with the world of nutrition, you have definitely heard the terms “bad” and “good” cholesterol. Similarly, we can categorically divide stress. We can imagine so-called chronic/long-term stress as bad, while its opposite will be good acute/short-term stress.

Prolonged stress greatly increases the risk of disease and makes our immune system less “vigilant” to external threats. It is necessary to point out that the stress response of the body is crucial for adaptation to a load or a new situation. Are you changing your diet, have you had a hard workout, are you learning something new? All this will trigger a stress response of the organism (Dhabhar et al., 2014).

However, if this stressor is of a long-term nature (we chose a bad job that we hate, while we can’t pay the mortgage, we drink 5 coffees a day, and the news doesn’t add to our mood either), individual systems of our body can gradually begin to collapse (Edwards et al. , 2018).

I’m not in a position to advise you on what steps to take in your work or business, however there are a whole range of things we can do for our bodies to reduce chronic stress levels and thus boost immunity.

How can we reduce the level of long-term chronic stress?

1. Limiting the intake of coffee and energy drinks or other stimulants that increase the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
2. Include positive acute stressors in your life: Hardening (you can start even with a cold shower for a few tens of seconds in the morning), exercise, gardening, etc.
3. Our work with the breath is a powerful factor  influencing our mood and perception of stress. For example, you can use this technique to calm your body and mind:

In a comfortable position, you inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 4 seconds and then exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. Repeat at least 4 times, even more often per day. If this example seems too rushed, you can double the exhalation time.

Have you ever tried meditation? Perhaps you have already read a lot about her, but there was no time for her. What about keeping a journal? An outdated habit or a wonderful way to sort your thoughts and reduce your stress level? If you haven’t had time for these techniques yet, you probably have now.

• You can find out how to work with your breath in the article  Mindfulness: meditation as a way to mental well-being
• You can manage stress better using a special method. More in the article Iceman Wim Hof ​​advises how to control your body and stay healthy 

4. A myth about the importance of nutrition? So there you have it again

Our immunity is largely a reflection of the population of our digestive tract . This is largely dictated by the quality of our diet (and also our physical activity). Optimizing this area is thus the first priority that we can influence with nutrition (Dinan et al., 2017; Walsh et al., 2011).

We should thus receive foods:

1. rich in probiotics ( kefir , yogurts, kimchi, fermented foods),
2. rich prebiotics , which serve as certain food for intestinal bacteria ( garlic , onion, chicory, asparagus, leek).
3. Of course, you can also consider supplementing these substances in the form of probiotics  and prebiotics in capsules, where colostrum is also highly used to support immunity.

Sufficient energy and all macronutrients are also needed

On the next level, it is necessary to ensure that we do not accept a lack of essential nutrients for the function of the immune system, when especially after physical exertion it is advisable to ensure enough carbohydrates, proteins, but also fats  not only for the purpose of repairing damaged muscles, but also with the aim of building a strong wall against possible pathogens .

Now more than ever, we can highlight the importance of regular intake of fruits and vegetables , which are rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Good quality coffee or green tea, in reasonable amounts, also contain a huge amount of antioxidants that can benefit our health and defenses (if we don’t outweigh these effects with the negative effects of caffeine in the long term).

• You can find out how to know about probiotics and similar substances and how to choose an effective product in the article Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics, how to know about them? 6 tips for choosing an effective product 
• Learn to eat fermented milk products. You can learn more about their importance in the article But when I don’t like it! Why and how to learn to eat fermented milk products?

5. Get enough vitamin D, zinc and other micronutrients

Vitamin D

Personally, I’ve been looking forward for half a year to how I’ll start getting vitamin D from its natural source, i.e. from the sun. And once we get to the point where it’s weather outside where you want to crawl under the covers and do nothing at all, many of us are afraid to go outside.

I’m not an epidemiologist and I don’t want to preach to you about whether you can leave your house, but even if you want to stay barricaded in safety for the next few weeks, entrust some handy messenger with the delivery of vitamin D3 in the form of a supplement , when this vitamin is more effective in liquid form.

For immune support, I recommend 3,000-5,000 IU of this substance per day (especially if you have spent the last months in offices or halls).

The lack of the active form of this vitamin in our body will be reflected both in suboptimal immunity and in other areas of our performance, such as strength, explosiveness or the ability to transform the body (fat loss or muscle gain) (Owens et al., 2018).

• A comprehensive article on vitamin D can be found under the title  Up to a billion people suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Do you know what is at stake?

Magnesium

Lack of magnesium in our body can lead to a higher level of inflammatory processes, which disrupt immunity, among other things. This can have a negative effect on an individual’s mental and physical performance (Volpe et al., 2015).

We can also observe higher irritability and a higher level of perceived stress. It is therefore advisable to consider magnesium supplementation  in one of its easily absorbable forms, such as bisglycinate. Unfortunately, an ordinary “shumák” for two won’t work very well in this case.

• You can read more about magnesium in the article titled  Do you suffer from fatigue and cramps? You may be deficient in magnesium

Glutamine

This substance serves as a kind of fuel for the cells of the digestive tract, ensuring that the intestinal wall maintains its integrity and does not allow foreign or harmful substances that could lead to infection (Walsh et al., 1998).

Glutamine  thus builds and strengthens our imaginary walls against pathogens.

B group vitamins

In general, vitamins from this group are involved in the conversion of energy from food into a usable form of energy or help the production of hormones (which include, for example, the “well-being” hormone – serotonin). There is a whole range of B group vitamins and each contributes to immunity to a different extent.

However, if we were to single out the most interesting ones, they would be vitamins B2, B6, and B12 (B‑52 is not a vitamin). Their intake in adequate amounts will be ensured by a varied and balanced diet.

Zinc

Another mineral that takes part in maintaining our immunity and in men also offers a welcome benefit in protecting testosterone levels is zinc .

• You can read a comprehensive article about the risks of zinc deficiency and its proper supplementation in the article entitled  Zinc deficiency: acne, weight gain and lower testosterone levels

6. Observing your training load if you are an athlete 

Most likely, your competition has been suspended or ended, but it is possible that you are still training with a team or have your sports “home office”. If you are still in the training process, watch out for the phenomena described below.

What to watch out for in athlete mode at “home office”?

1. In the period after the end of the exercise, your immunity is greatly impaired for about 4 hours , so make sure that you get high-quality sources of nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) after the exercise.
2. Do not try to have a higher load than during the rest of the season . A rapid increase in load relative to the average significantly increases the risk of infection (even in normal times, not only in a pandemic state).
3. Make sure that your percentage of body fat is not too low (the body is much more easily attacked by pathogens) and, on the contrary, not too high (increased levels of fat reserves increase the rate of inflammatory processes and the body has to deal with so many adverse events that there are no more left for immunity forces).

7. Increase your production of desirable substances naturally

In our body we can find hormones that primarily cause an increase in our excitement or nervousness (adrenaline, cortisol). On the other hand, we also find so-called neurotransmitters, which greatly facilitate the fact that we are able to relax, fall asleep faster and experience less frequent mood swings.

One of them is the substance with the abbreviation GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). It is a substance found primarily in the brain. We feel its deficiency when we are highly distracted, when we fall asleep or when we feel anxious (we could say that we notice its insufficient function in chronic stress) (Auteri et al., 2015).

GABA is a substance that our body can create on its own, but we can also supply it in the form of supplementation. However, there are other ways to increase the production of this neurotransmitter, thus supporting the function of both the digestive tract and the body’s defenses.

Hops in beer, for example, have the potential to increase the release of GABA, but it is also known that alcohol itself worsens the quality of sleep or the speed of regeneration.

Certain types of food are also involved in the production of this neurotransmitter , such as nuts, kefir, yogurt, fish and seafood, cocoa or certain types of vegetables (tomatoes, broccoli, spinach).

What to take from it?

Our immunity is largely a reflection of the state of our organism and the care we give it , which we are perhaps all too painfully aware of today. A good diet, taking care of your body and mind and getting enough sleep are often perceived as something we cannot afford in hectic times. However, our declining health will tell us the toll we are taking.

And we don’t have to talk only about the current crisis situation , but also about the fact that it is not normal to catch the flu twice a year or take antibiotics on a regular basis. If our current body is more like an abandoned ruin, thanks to the tips in this article, we can work step by step to build a fortress for which no incursions of unwanted infection are an unimaginable obstacle.

I firmly believe that in these special times, the knowledge from this article will be beneficial for you and applicable to your not-quite-ordinary life.