You may be wondering how to help your body battle illnesses if you want to improve your immune health. Although improving your immunity is easier said than done, making a few dietary and lifestyle improvements will help you improve your body’s natural defense and battle disease-causing pathogens.

What would you do to strengthen the immune system? As we know that the immune system does an great work of protecting us from disease-causing microorganisms and bacteria. Many a times we have observed sometimes it doesn’t work: a germ infects the body and makes you sick.

With the 2019 coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic approaching, it’s particularly important to remember that no supplement, diet, or other lifestyle change will protect you from COVID-19 other than physical distancing, often known as social distancing, and good hygiene practices.

How Immune System Works

Organs, cells, tissues, and proteins collaborate to form the immune system. These organs work together to battle pathogens, which include viruses, bacteria, and foreign bodies that cause infection or disease. An immune response is triggered when the immune system comes into contact with a pathogen. Antibodies are released by the immune system, which bind to antigens on pathogens and destroy them.

Consider the immune system as a band. You want every instrument and musician in the orchestra to give their all for the best score. NO one would like one musician to play at twice the normal speed, or one instrument to produce sound at twice the normal volume. You want every instrument in that orchestra to play exactly as it should. Your immune system is in the same boat. Every part of your immune system must function perfectly in order to protect your body from damage. The only way to ensure that happens is to engage in the good-for-you habits that your immune system relies on every day.

Tips to Increase Immunity using home remedies

The concept of increasing your immunity is appealing, but the ability to do so has proven difficult to achieve for a variety of reasons. The immune system is a set of interconnected systems, not a single entity. It needs equilibrium and harmony to work properly. There’s quite a lot researchers don’t know about the immune system’s complexities and interconnections.

Sleep

Sleep and immunity are inextricably linked. In reality, a lack of or poor quality of sleep has been related to a higher risk of illness. A survey of 164 healthy adults found that those who slept less than 6 hours per night were more likely to catch a cold than those who slept 6 hours or more per night.

The immune system releases cytokines during sleep that increase in response to infection or inflammation, as well as during times of stress, to help fight illness. When the body is deprived of sleep, the development of these defensive cytokines and infection-fighting antibodies can be reduced. In those days, the body takes over to fight illness, and people can experience sleep disruption or poor sleep quality, as well as stronger urges to nap or sleep in. By kicking the immune system into high gear, the body expends a lot of energy fighting viruses and eliminating pathogens. When you’re ill, getting more sleep is important for recovery and conserving resources to battle diseases.

When you sleep, your body recovers and regenerates, making proper sleep essential for a healthy immune response. Sleep is when the body produces and distributes key immune cells including cytokines (a form of protein that can either combat or encourage inflammation), T cells (a type of white blood cell that controls immune response), and interleukin 12 (a type of protein that can either fight or promote inflammation) (a pro-inflammatory)

Healthy Diet

Whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are high in nutrients and antioxidants, which can help you, fight pathogens. Antioxidants in these foods aid in the reduction of inflammation by combating unstable compounds known as free radicals, which can trigger inflammation when they build up in high concentrations in the body.

By reducing inflammation, healthy fats like those found in olive oil and salmon can help your body’s immune response to pathogens. While inflammation is a natural reaction to stress or injury, chronic inflammation can weaken your immune system.

Foods to Add in Your Diet to Increase Immunity

Citrus fruits

After catching a cold, most people immediately turn to vitamin C. This is because it aids in the development of the immune system. Vitamin C is thought to boost the development of white blood cells, which are essential in the fight against infection. Vitamin C is abundant in almost all citrus fruits. With so many options, incorporating a squeeze of this vitamin into any meal is easy.

Examples of Citrus Fruits-

• lemons
• grapefruit
• oranges
• clementines
• tangerines
• amla

Add Blueberries to Diet

Anthocyanin, a flavonoid found in blueberries, has antioxidant properties that can help improve a person’s immune system. People who consumed foods high in flavonoids had a lower risk of getting an upper respiratory tract infection, or common cold, than those who did not.

Garlic

Garlic is used in almost every cuisine on the planet. It gives food a little zing and is beneficial to your wellbeing. Its importance in the war against infections was recognized by early civilizations. Garlic can also help to prevent artery hardening, and there is some evidence that it may help lower blood pressure.

Ghee

Ghee, or clarified butter, is often misunderstood to be fattening. It is, in truth, one of the healthiest Indian foods and should be consumed on a regular basis. Vitamin A, K, E, Omega-3, and Omega-9 essential fatty acids are abundant in this popular Indian food item. It’s also high in butyrate and healthy fat. Ghee, or clarified butter, is often misunderstood to be fattening. It is, in truth, one of the healthiest Indian foods and should be consumed on a regular basis. Vitamin A, K, E, Omega-3, and Omega-9 essential fatty acids are abundant in this popular Indian food item. It’s also high in butyrate and healthy fat.

Amla

Amla contains a number of antioxidants that can help to neutralize free radicals and thereby protect you from a variety of diseases. It also contains antibacterial agents that can aid in the detoxification of your bloodstream as well as the reduction of acne and dandruff. It is said to have about 20 times the amount of vitamin C as oranges. Although 100 grams of amla contains 600 milligrams of vitamin C, 100 grams of oranges contain only 30 milligrams. One tiny fruit of amla contains the same amount of vitamin C as two oranges.

Almonds

Almonds contain vitamin E, which aids in the prevention of colds and flu and keeps the immune system running smoothly. Since E is a fat-soluble molecule that needs the presence of fat to be absorbed, nuts are the ideal vehicle for it to enter your system. On an average, adults only need about 15 mg of vitamin E each day.

Turmeric

Almonds contain vitamin E, which aids in the prevention of colds and flu and keeps the immune system running smoothly. Since E is a fat-soluble molecule that needs the presence of fat to be absorbed, nuts are the ideal vehicle for it to enter your system. Turmeric is a well-known ingredient in many curries. This bright yellow, bitter spice has long been used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as an anti-inflammatory.

Tumeric boosts the immune system by increasing antibody production, and doctors recommend that people with auto-immune diseases take 500 mg of curcumin daily to minimize inflammation.

Yogurt

Greek yoghurt, for example, should have the word “living and active cultures” written on the bottle. These cultures can help your immune system combat diseases by stimulating it. Clear yoghurts are preferable to those that are flavored and filled with sugar. Instead, you can sweeten plain yoghurt with fresh fruits and a drizzle of honey. Yogurt can also be a good source of vitamin D, so look for products that are fortified with it. Vitamin D is thought to help control the immune system and improve the body’s natural defences against disease.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains theobromine, an antioxidant that may help to strengthen the immune system by shielding the body’s cells from free radicals. When the body breaks down food or comes into contact with contaminants, free radicals are formed. Free radicals can harm cells in the body and lead to disease.

Stress

The importance of the mind-body connection has been recognized by modern medicine. Emotional stress has been related to a number of ailments, including stomach upset, hives, and even heart failure. Despite the difficulties, scientists are continuing to research the connection between stress and immune function. Most scientists studying the relationship between stress and immune function, on the other hand, try to study more constant and frequent stressors known as chronic stress, such as that caused by relationships with family, friends, and coworkers, or that caused by sustained challenges to perform well at one’s work.

These are trying times, and remaining indoors for an extended period of time may have negative consequences for your mental health. Another issue that is impacting millions of people around the world is the increasing fear of a pandemic. Although the confusion can be daunting, there are a few simple measures we can take on a daily basis to help alleviate stress. Stress is seen to have a high negative impact on immunity of  a person.

Exercise daily

A healthy diet should be accompanied by a regular exercise schedule. Remember to exercise on a regular basis; even light exercise will help the body release toxins. Depending on the endurance, 30 to 45 minutes of exercise is recommended. It is a good time to begin exercising if you have not already done so. While intense exercise for long periods of time can weaken your immune system, moderate exercise can strengthen it.

According to studies, even a single session of moderate exercise will improve vaccine efficacy in people with weakened immune systems. Brisk walking, steady bicycling, jogging, swimming, and light hiking are all examples of moderate exercise. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week for most people.

Quit Smoking

Although carcinogens in tobacco and cigarettes are to blame for the increased risk of cancer, numerous other compounds, such as nicotine, formaldehyde, ammonia, carbon monoxide, benzopyrenes, tar, acetone, hydroxyquinone, cadmium, and nitrogen oxides, act as pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents.

It harms respiratory system as follows-

• trachea (windpipe) and speech box frustration
• Swelling and narrowing of the lung airways, as well as excess mucus in the lung passages, cause decreased lung capacity and breathlessness.
• The lungs’ clearance mechanism is harmed, resulting in a build-up of toxic substances in the lungs, causing irritation and injury.
• Symptoms such as coughing and wheezing are more likely as a result of the elevated risk of lung infection.