Maintaining a healthy immune system is essential for a healthy body. The immune system consists of a vast network of organs, tissues, and proteins that protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other foreign invaders. Daily habits can threaten and endanger this powerful, lifesaving network in some unexpected ways.
Curious as to whether or not you’re putting your natural immunity in harm’s way? Read on for the inside scoop on ten things that could be bogging down your immune system.
Alcohol
Although researchers have identified a possible link between small amounts of alcohol consumption and a lowered risk of developing diabetes, many people are unaware of how alcohol impacts the immune system. Alcohol impairs the immune cells in several vital organs, making it more difficult for the system to do its job effectively.
Additionally, alcohol suppresses the immune system, making it far less likely to protect the body from outside invaders. While the link between alcohol consumption and the immune system is not entirely understood, there is mounting evidence that heavy alcohol consumption results in an increased number of infections in alcoholics.
Social isolation
While social distancing may be a helpful tool to keep the physical body from getting sick, its impact on psychological health is a bit more complex.
Loneliness has adverse effects on the immune system by increasing the body’s cortisol level. This stress hormone interferes with the function of the cells of the immune system by increasing blood pressure and heart rate.
Lack of exercise
Engaging in regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body. Exercise keeps bones and muscles strong and better able to handle necessary maintenance. Exercise also benefits the cardiovascular system and directly keeps several diseases at bay. But many people don’t realize the effect of exercise on the immune system.
Moderate physical activity helps flush harmful bacteria out of the body before it has the opportunity to make you sick. The temporary rise in body temperature bought on by exercise also helps fight infection before it has the chance to take over.
Lack of stress management
Cortisol has some unusual impacts on the human body. Under normal circumstances, cortisol is a potentially lifesaving aid in a fight-or-flight situation where the body is under intense stress. It pulls energy and resources away from low-priority body systems and redirects them to the brain and skeletal muscles.
While this response is very beneficial short-term, the long-term effects of this type of stress on the brain and body remaining in this state can be devastating, disrupting nearly all of the body’s processes, including the immune system.
Inadequate sleep
While there is ongoing research on the effects of sleep and physical health, the preliminary results are unmistakable. There is a close connection between sleep and a healthy body. Research has determined that consistent, quality sleep strengthens the immune system, making it better equipped to protect the body from everyday pathogens and airborne viruses.
Sleep gives the brain time to eliminate waste and complete routine maintenance tasks in the body, including revving up the immune system. As with nearly everything else in the body, the brain maintains a delicate balance in the immune system. By logging the recommended hours of sleep for your age group, your immune system will have the chance to reset overnight.
Not eating a balanced diet
Eating a balanced diet impacts the immune system in many ways. Overeating or consuming a diet rich in unhealthy fats and cholesterol is a substantial risk factor for obesity, which is a threat to the immune system on its own. If your dinner plate is overflowing with processed sugars, complex carbs, and a one-dimensional color pallet of browns and beiges, malnutrition should be a concern. Remember, without the essential vitamins and minerals needed by the body to stay healthy, your immune system is at risk.
Too much sun exposure
The sun is the most abundant source of vitamin D on the planet, and vitamin D appears to have a protective effect on the immune system. However, as the saying goes, there can be too much of a good thing–a sentiment that holds true in conversations of sun exposure. Unbeknownst to most sunbathers, UV-induced immunosuppression is a grave reality for those who crave fun in the sun. But how?
Specific bands of ultraviolet radiation can cause UV-induced immunosuppression, which impacts the immune system by lowering the activity and increasing the response time in immune system cells. As a result, the lower activity levels place the body at greater risk of infection.
Smoking
Smoking cigarettes puts your life in jeopardy, causing adverse effects to nearly every part of the body. While the detrimental repercussions of cigarettes on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems take centerstage on billboards and TV commercials alike, smoking can also place undue stress on the immune system–a lesser-known reality.
Cigarettes contain more than 7,000 chemicals, and at least 250 of those are known carcinogens. Many of these chemicals interfere with the delicate balance of the immune system and prevent it from working efficiently. This inefficiency places the individual at higher risk of developing infection and disease and makes a recovery more challenging.
Ignoring your gut health
A growing body of evidence points to a connection between the immune system, gut biome, and mental health. Almost 70% of the immune system is in the gut. Research is ongoing, but preliminary results uncover many clues in identifying the root causes of depression, anxiety, and many other mood disorders in the trillions of bacteria that populate the stomach and surrounding organs.
Taking care of the gut biome streamlines digestion and assists the body in swiftly eliminating foreign invaders. And if the preliminary results of the recent research are any indication, it can even improve your mood.
Not washing your hands
Washing your hands provides a solid first line of defense against viruses and bacteria. Although this may appear to be a no-brainer, every day, your hands touch more surfaces than you probably realize, picking up and carrying germs and bacteria along the way.
Infection agents from doorknobs, computer keyboards, light switches, and thousands of other items make your hands much more contaminated than you probably realize. Periodically washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds will go a long way toward keeping you well and keeping your immune system in great shape.
Wrap up
The immune system is one of the most powerful systems in the body, and it has a tremendous job of keeping you well. Make sure you do your part by keeping it as strong as possible. Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep, exercise, and mindful dietary habits.