A recent survey conducted by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that employees in the United Kingdom were absent an average of 7.8 days over the past year—the highest level in over a decade. While stress is a significant cause of long-term absences, 94 percent of short-term leave was due to minor illnesses, such as colds and other minor illnesses. As we head into winter and the start of cold and flu season, the need to maintain a healthy immune system is greater than ever. Here’s how to keep your immune system, and you, fighting fit.
Eat well and chew properly
Eating a varied and healthy diet that’s abundant in plenty of fruit, vegetables, and wholefoods is crucial for maintaining a strong immune system. As well as providing important nutrients and vitamins such as zinc and vitamin D which help fortify the immune system against pathogens, eating lots of fibrous foods helps support a healthy gut microbiome. With over 70 percent of the immune system located in the gut, keeping it in good health is an essential first line of defence against winter bugs and bacteria.
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso are excellent staples to reach for as they contain beneficial bacteria that encourage a more balanced microbiome and support better immunity. Don’t neglect herbs and spices if you’re looking to build up your antibacterial armor this autumn. Oregano is a powerhouse of an immune booster that everyone should familiarize themselves with thanks to the potent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory plant compounds in it, while garlic is more than just a flavour-booster. When chewed or crushed, the compound alliin that’s present in garlic gets converted to allicin, which boosts the response of disease-fighting white blood cells.
It’s not enough just to eat wisely, how you eat matters too according to a joint study from The University of Manchester and the National Institutes of Health in the US. Chewing your food properly supports your immune system by secreting Th17 cells in your mouth. These cells assist B cells to make antibodies, activate the microbe killing capacity of specialist cells and recruit other immune cells to infected parts of the body. According to experts, aim to chew everything around 30 times.
Have a healthy sex life
Sex can actually help you stave off illnesses and keep you fighting fit thanks to a number of hormones that are secreted by the body during sex which are potent stress relievers, including dopamine and oxytocin. As well as releasing these powerful neurotransmitters, sex also reduces the amount of cortisol in the body; too much of which has been linked to impaired immunity. In addition to improving mood and lowering stress levels, sex is a great precursor to a good night’s sleep, which in itself is crucial for fighting off illness.
Don’t skimp on sleep
A more robust immune system is closely linked to regular good quality sleep. When you sleep, your immune system releases anti-inflammatory cytokines, signaling proteins that control the production and activity of other immune system cells and blood cells and message the immune system to do its job. Conversely when your natural circadian rhythms are disrupted and sleep quality or duration starts to slip, too many inflammatory cytokines are triggered, resulting in elevated inflammation and an immune system that is compromised and ill equipped to deal with passing pathogens. Although how much sleep you should get is down to the individual, aim for between seven and nine hours a night.
Increase your cold water exposure
Adding cold showers into your autumn routine may not be appealing, but the benefits to your immune system are plentiful. The shock of the cold water triggers the release of infection-fighting white blood cells called leukocytes, which hunt out and destroy any circulating viruses in your bloodstream. One study in The Netherlands that asked people to take cold showers every day for 30 days, reported a 29 percent decrease in incidences of illness amongst participants.
Cold water exposure, whether it’s cold showers or cold water swimming also helps the body produce protective antioxidants including glutathione which combats the effects of oxidative stress in the body which can contribute to diseases. Its effects are felt on the lymphatic system too, causing lymph vessels to contract and work harder to flush waste, microbes and bacteria from cells.
