Viruses like the flu and the common cold spread more easily when it’s cold outside and people stay inside more. From late fall to early spring is usually cold and flu season. During this time, your immune system is working hard to keep you healthy. Boosting your immune system before and during this season is important to lower your risk of getting sick and speed up your healing if you do. The good news is that you can help your immune system work at its best by making a few smart choices about how you live.
Focus on healthy foods that will help your immune system
Your immune system’s first line of defense is a healthy food. Foods that are high in nutrients give your body energy and help your defense cells do their job of protecting you better. Choose whole, raw foods that are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Strawberries, bell peppers, and citrus foods are all high in vitamin C, which helps your body make white blood cells to fight off illness. Vitamin A is found in leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and carrots. It is important for keeping the mucous membranes in your nose and throat healthy because that’s where viruses often enter your body. Zinc is another important mineral that helps shorten the length of colds. You can find it in nuts, beans, and fish. Compounds in garlic and ginger naturally fight viruses and reduce inflammation, which makes them great adds to soups and drinks.
Set goals Consistent, Good Sleep
Not only do you rest while you sleep, but your defense system also does its most important job. Your body makes cytokines while you sleep. These are proteins that fight illness and inflammation. You immune system gets weaker when you don’t get enough rest, which makes it easier for bugs to take hold.
Aim for 7 to 9 hours of good sleep every night to make your defense system stronger. Even on the weekends, stick to the same sleep routine. In the evening, relax by spending less time in front of a screen, staying away from coffee, and making your bedroom calm and dark. One of the easiest and most effective ways to stay healthy during cold and flu season is to get enough sleep.
Keep moving around
Regular, moderate exercise improves immunity by making the blood flow better, lowering inflammation, and encouraging the healthy turnover of immune cells. It also lowers stress chemicals like cortisol, which can weaken the immune system if they stay high for a long time.
During the winter, you don’t have to join a gym to stay busy. Moving your body and making your muscles stronger can be done by walking, stretching, doing yoga, or working out at home. Moderate movement for just 30 minutes a day can boost your immune system and make it easier for your body to fight off viruses.
Keep your stress level down
Stress that lasts for a long time hurts the immune system by causing long-term inflammation and making immunity cells less effective. The holidays and end-of-year tasks often happen at the same time as cold and flu season. This makes it even more important to deal with stress in a healthy way.
Mindfulness practices, like deep breathing, writing, meditation, or even just taking small breaks during the day, can help you clear your mind and feel less stressed. Reading, artistic hobbies, and spending time with loved ones are all good ways to relax and improve your mood, which in turn helps your immune system.
Keep drinking water and help your mucosal defenses
People often forget how important it is to stay refreshed for their defense systems. Fluids help your body get rid of waste, bring nutrients to cells, and keep your throat and nose wet. This wetness protects your body naturally from germs that come in, and dry conditions, which are often caused by heating inside, can weaken it.
During the day, try to drink a lot of water. Herbal drinks, bone broth, and foods like fruits and veggies that are high in water can also help you stay hydrated. During the winter, warm drinks can be particularly comforting and help keep your lungs clear.
When needed, take supplements that boost your immune system
Food should be your main source of nutrients, but pills can help during cold and flu season if you don’t get enough of certain nutrients in your diet or if your immune system needs extra help. Vitamin D is especially important in the winter, when there is less sunshine. Vitamin C and zinc pills are also often used to boost the immune system and shorten the length of colds.
Probiotics help keep the microbiome in your gut healthy and can also help keep your defense system in check. Since the gut is home to a lot of immunity cells, it is very important to keep the digestive system healthy. Talking to a doctor or nurse before taking a new vitamin is the best way to make sure it’s right for you.
Good hygiene can help you avoid getting exposed
It’s important to boost your immune system, but it’s also important to take steps to avoid getting viruses. Use soap and water to wash your hands often, especially after going to a public place. Do not touch your face, especially the areas around your eyes, nose, and mouth. This is a common way for viruses to get in.
At home and at work, clean areas like doorknobs, phones, and computers that people touch a lot. If you’re sick, stay home to keep other people from getting sick and to give your body the rest it needs to get better faster.
Don’t smoke and drink too little alcohol
Smoking hurts your lungs and lowers your immune system, which makes you more likely to get respiratory illnesses. Even being around people who smoke can weaken your immune system. One of the best things you can do to protect your lungs and immune system is to stop smoking or stay away from smoke.
In the same way, drinking too much alcohol makes it harder for the body to make white blood cells and raises inflammation. Most people may be safe with occasional, mild drinking, but cutting back on alcohol during cold and flu season will help your immune system stay strong and work well.
Create a daily routine that helps you
To stay healthy during cold and flu season, you need to do more than just a few things. You need to make a daily plan that includes rest, food, exercise, and thoughtful self-care. When it comes to resilience, even small habits that you stick to can make a big difference.
You can keep track of your water intake, food, moving, and sleep by making a daily health schedule. Having a routine helps you keep up good habits and gives you order during a time of year when it’s easy to break patterns.
Avoid getting sick by taking daily precautions
It can be hard to deal with cold and flu season, but if you get ready and make healthy habits, you can give your immune system the power it needs to fight back. A strong immune system is built on easy things that you do every day, like eating whole, nutrient-dense foods, getting enough sleep, staying busy, and dealing with stress. Take steps now to support your body instead of waiting until you start to feel sick. Staying healthy starts long before you get sick.
