- Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night
- Sleep deprivation may decrease formation of new immune cells and increase activity of pro-inflammatory mediators (Asif et al., 2012).
- Boost sleep quality by:
- avoiding screen-time 2 hours before bed (or utilize blue-light blocking eyewear)
- applying or diffusing essential oils (lavender, restful blend, vetiver, etc.)
- utilizing supplements such as magnesium, melatonin, or Cerenity PM (OrthoMolecular)
- Aim for at least 5,000IU of Vitamin D daily
- Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased likelihood of several autoimmune conditions (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease).
- Optimal levels of vitamin D may reduce incidence of infection (Mora et al., 2010).
- Don’t forget your Vitamin C
- Doses of 100-200mg/day may prevent respiratory and systemic infections
- Antioxidant properties of Vitamin C can protect lungs exposed to damaging pollutants (Carr & Maggini, 2017)
- Engage in 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity each day
- Exercise may help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways.
- May improve immune response to respiratory viral infections.
- A brief rise in body temperature may prevents growth of harmful bacteria (Martin et al., 2009).
- Eat more chicken soup
- Chicken soup is found to have potential anti-inflammatory activity to reduce incidence or severity of respiratory viral tract infections (Rennard et al., 2000)
- Utilize essential oils
- Melaleuca, cinnamon, thyme, and black pepper oils all contain anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties – diffuse or apply to bottoms of feet daily (The Essential Life, 2017).
- Mix with water and emulsifier to sanitize surfaces.
BONUS!
- Keep a positive attitude!
- Studies show physiological well-being may boost immune response, enhance resistance towards diseases, and make life more prosperous (Abdurachman & Herawati, 2018).
References
Abdurachman and Herawati, N. (2018). The Role of Psychological Well-Being in Boosting Immune Response: An Optimal Effort in Tackling Infection. African Journal of Infectious Disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5876785/
Asif, N., Igbal, R., and Nazir, C.F. (2017, March 20). Human Immune System During Sleep. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Immunology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5768894/
Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., and Haack, M. (2019, March 28). The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. American Physiological Society. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00010.2018
Carr, A. C. and Maggini, S. (2017, Nov 3). Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
Martin, S. A., Pence, B. D., and Woods, J. A. (2009, Oct 1). Exercise and Respiratory Viral Tract Infections. Exercise and Sports Science Reviews. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803113/
Mora, J. R., Iwata, M. and von Andran, U. H. (2010, July 20). Vitamin Effects on the Immune System: Vitamins A and D Take Centre Stage. Nature Reviews Immunology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906676/
Rennard et al. (2000). Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis In Vitro. CHEST. https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(15)37721-7/fulltext
The Essential Life. (2017). Total Wellness Publishing