Do you want to know how to make a weak immune system stronger? The body’s immune system protects you from disease-causing pathogens and other ailments. Its weakening implies that your body cannot fend off these germs and other environmental risks, increasing the chances of falling sick.
You need a robust immune system to keep illnesses at bay, and this write-up points out the signs of a weak immune system and what you can do to boost it.
What Weakens the Immune System?
- Alcohol – Excessive alcohol intake suppresses the immune system, making it more challenging to defend the body against viruses and illnesses.
- Smoking – Besides damaging your lungs, it reduces your immunity, explaining why immunologists suggest smokers take more vitamin C as antioxidants.
- Stress – being stressed can lead to inflammation and weaken your body’s defenses.
- Poor nutrition – constantly eating unhealthy or processed foods denies the body the nutrients it needs to boost immunity and fend off diseases.
- Obesity – high cholesterol levels make it harder for the body to build a solid shield against heart diseases and other chronic obesity-related illnesses.
- Aging – the older you get, the weaker your body can fight disease-causing pathogens.
- Medical conditions and medications – HIV, diabetes, and cancer patients tend to have lower immunity due to their heavy medication.
Common Signs of a Weak Immune System
The following are some of the most common indicators of a compromised immune system.
You Get Stressed All The Time
Feeling sick after completing a stressful task or undergoing an emotionally draining situation is normal. However, long-term stress is one of the primary causes of weak immunity and leads to dysregulation, suppression, increased chances of contracting infections, and lengthening of the recovery time.
Stress reduces your lymphocytes or the white blood cells’ ability to combat incoming infections. When these levels decline, you are likelier to fall sick from viruses like the common cold. Extreme and frequent stressful episodes can also worsen autoimmune diseases like ulcerative colitis.
You Get Sick Frequently
An adult with a robust immune system can get a cold twice or thrice a year and recover within 7-10 days. On the other hand, those with weak systems have more frequent illnesses and take longer to recover.
You should know something is wrong if you have had a cold for weeks or frequent stomach problems. Your immune response may be taking too long to defend the body.
You Feel Tired All The Time
Everyone gets tired after a busy day at work or school, but it is unusual for you to be fatigued every time despite doing nothing and resting well. Your body should be back to normal after resting. Otherwise, it could be telling you that the defenses are down.
If your immunity weakens, your energy levels will also be low because the body will try to preserve its energy to have enough power to fuel the immune system.
Sufficient vitamin D levels can aid the immune system and boost your energy levels.
Your Wounds Take a Lot of Time To Heal
The skin will naturally start damage control whenever you get hurt, whether a burn or a cut. The body sends blood to the affected area and heals the wound, but only if you have a robust immune response.
If the system is down, the wound will heal slower, preventing new skin from regenerating as fast as it should. It applies to surgeries and inflammation, and the worst part is that it increases the chances of infections.
You Take Medications That Weaken the Immune System
Patients with HIV or undergoing chemotherapy take a lot of drugs to boost the body’s defenses. However, the resistance impacts the current threats in the process, avoiding incoming viruses and infections.
It also applies to people who take oral steroids. The immune system finds it challenging to defend from all sides, leaving the affected more susceptible to illnesses.
7 Ways To Boost Your Immune System
Once you have checked that you have all or most of the signs of weak immunity, your next concern is how to strengthen your immune system. Fortunately, according to experts, you can rejuvenate your body by making lifestyle changes.
The following are the most effective ways to boost the immune system.
Eat Healthily
You can fuel your immune system with nutrient-rich foods and drinking water. In addition, you need plenty of antioxidants from fresh fruits and vegetables with high vitamin C content. A healthy diet is a critical factor for a robust immune system. Avoiding heavily processed and fried foods is a good place to start living healthily.
When it comes to snacking, you can have many healthier options instead of snacks like chips, candies, or ice creams. Dried fruits, nut butter, and mixed nuts are great snacking alternatives to add healthy sources of fiber and unsaturated fat to your diet.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Being well-rested is beneficial for your overall health. When sleeping, your immune cells can focus on staging powerful infection attacks. In addition, it is the best chance for the body to form memory antibodies and create a more solid system in case of future combat.
Having a Good Hygiene
Diseases enter the body from the bacteria on surfaces, and washing your hands with soap, and water is vital to kill the lingering germs. Also, remember to wash fruits and vegetables before you eat or cook them.
Take Your Vitamins
Immunologists will emphasize the importance of taking fruits and vegetables for vitamin intake, especially vitamin C, D, and B12, for a more robust immune system. You can also do a blood test to determine whether you have a deficiency and seek advice on the way forward.
Stop Smoking
Smoking damages the lungs and makes it harder for the immune cells to work. However, quitting smoking positively affects your immune system’s response and reduces the risk of contracting viruses.
Limit Alcohol Usage
Excessive drinking of alcohol has several other adverse effects on your health besides reducing your immunity. It also leads to inflammation by damaging the gastrointestinal system.
Reducing alcohol intake will help improve your health and reduce the risk of viruses and infections.
Meditate
Since long-term stress is a leading cause of a weakened immune system, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and other calming activities can boost your body’s defenses.
Conclusion on a Weak Immune System
A healthy immunity means you rarely fall sick; even when you do, your body will not take long to bounce back. Knowing how to make your immune system strong is essential, or your body will struggle to defend itself from common infections and viruses.
If the signs above are too familiar, you need better lifestyle habits to protect yourself. It starts with switching to a more nutritious diet, taking more water, regularly cleaning your hands with soap, and reducing alcohol intake and smoking.
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