7 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Immune System

Several important healthy lifestyle practices can assist in maintaining your immune system functioning properly, allowing you to avoid disease and infection.

Simply put, your immune system protects you from illness and disease. These cells protect your body from harmful pathogens (like bacteria and viruses) and noninfectious agents (like sunburn or cancer) when they work properly, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Like an orchestra, the immune system must be understood. For the best performance, every instrument and musician in the orchestra must shine. You don’t want one musician playing at double speed or one instrument suddenly producing twice the volume. You want the orchestra to play as planned.

The immune system is the same. To best protect your body from harm, every immune system component must work perfectly. The best way to ensure this is to practice healthy habits every day. Here are seven key ones.

1. Eat Right

According to Yufang Lin, MD, an integrative medicine doctor at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, the nutrients you get from food are essential to keeping your immune system healthy. “Many plant-based foods also have antiviral and antimicrobial properties,” Dr. Lin says.

A review published in June 2017 in the Inte

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says your immune system needs zinc, folate, iron, selenium, copper, and vitamins A, C, E, B6, and B12 from food to function properly. Each one supports immune function in a different way.

A review published in Nutrients in November 2017 suggests that vitamin C deficiency may increase the risk of infection. Our bodies can not produce this essential water-soluble vitamin, so we must obtain it from foods (such as citrus fruits, kiwis, and several cruciferous vegetables). A half-cup of red pepper provides 95 mg of vitamin C, or 106 percent of your daily requirement, according to the NIH.

Protein is also important for immune function. Protein contains amino acids that help build and maintain immune cells, so cutting back on protein may reduce your body’s ability to fight infections. In one study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases in February 2013, mice fed a diet with only 2% protein got the flu more than mice fed a diet with 18% protein. The mice recovered from the virus after being fed a “normal protein” diet.

Incorporate more plants and plant-based foods into your diet for better immune health. Lin suggests including fruits and vegetables in soups, stews, smoothies, salads, and snacks. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, foods rich in vitamins A and C include carrots, broccoli, spinach, red bell peppers, apricots, citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, tangerines), strawberries, and seeds and nuts.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends seafood, lean meat, and poultry as sources of protein and zinc.

2. Maintain Stress Control

Long-term stress causes chronically elevated levels of the steroid hormone cortisol, according to a 2015 Current Opinion in Psychology review. During short-term stress (when your body goes into “fight-or-flight” mode), your body relies on hormones like cortisol to keep your immune system calm (so your body can react to the immediate stressor). But high cortisol levels prevent the immune system from protecting the body against germs like viruses and bacteria.

Finding effective stress-reduction techniques that work for you is important. “I like to give my patients options,” says Ben Kaplan, MD, of Orlando Health Medical Group Internal Medicine. He suggests meditation (apps like Headspace and Calm can help), journaling, and other hobbies (such as fishing, playing golf, or drawing). Every day, do at least one stress-relieving activity. Time crunched? Start small. Every day, set aside five minutes for fun and increase it as much as you can.

3. Get lots of sleep

Sleep is important for a healthy immune response because your body heals and regenerates while you sleep.

According to a Pflugers Archiv European Journal of Physiology review, sleep is when your body produces and distributes key immune cells like cytokines (proteins that can either fight or promote inflammation), T cells (white blood cells that regulate immune response), and interleukin 12 (a pro-inflammatory cytokine).

Your immune system may be less able to defend your body against harmful invaders and more susceptible to illness when you don’t get enough sleep. In one study, published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine in July–August 2017, healthy young adults with insomnia were more susceptible to the flu than their non-insomniac counterparts, even after vaccination.

Sleep deprivation raises cortisol levels, which is bad for immunity, Lin says. Consequently, we have fewer reserves to fight off or recover from illness.

The National Sleep Foundation advises adults to get at least seven hours of sleep per night. Prioritize good sleep hygiene for quality sleep: Avoid violent or stressful books or conversations two to three hours before bed, Lin advises.

4. Exercising (Outdoors, When Possible)

Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease are all reduced by regular exercise, according to a review in Frontiers in Immunology in April 2018.

Exercise also boosts endorphins (a group of hormones that reduce pain and increase pleasure), making it a great stress reliever. “Stress suppresses our immune system, so this is another way exercise can boost immunity,” Lin says.

According to the same Frontiers in Immunology review, long or intense exercise sessions may suppress the immune system, making you more susceptible to illness and infection in the hours following your workout. And a wealth of epidemiological evidence shows that people who are more active overall tend to have lower incidences of both acute (infections) and chronic illnesses (like cancer and type 2 diabetes). Exercising may make your immune system more vigilant by distributing immune cells throughout your body to look for damaged or infected cells, according to that 2018 report.

Try to meet the CDC’s physical activity guidelines (CDC). Get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, cycling) or 75 minutes (1.5 hours) of high-intensity aerobic exercise (running). Strength training should be done twice a week. Nota: More activity leads to more health benefits, so aim high.

Dr. Kaplan recommends exercising outside to boost the immune system. Nature has been shown to improve mood, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and boost the immune system, says Lin.

Sunshine increases vitamin D levels, which is important to Maintain a Healthy Immune System

5. Drink Alcohol in Moderation

High alcohol consumption is linked to poor health, including impaired immune function. According to Kaplan, excessive alcohol consumption causes the immune system to malfunction.

A 2015 review in the journal Alcohol Research concluded that excessive alcohol consumption weakens the body’s ability to fight infection and slows recovery. According to the same review, heavy drinkers are more prone to pneumonia, ARDS, alcoholic liver disease, and certain cancers.

Don’t drink if you don’t already. The NIH advises women to drink one drink (equivalent to a 4-ounce glass of wine) per day and men two drinks per day.

6. Don’t Smoke

Like alcohol, smoking can harm the immune system. “Any toxin can weaken your immune system,” Kaplan says.

Carbon monoxide, nicotine, nitrogen oxides, and cadmium released by cigarettes can inhibit the growth and function of immune cells like cytokines, T cells, and B cells, according to a November 2016 review in Oncotarget.

For example, pneumonia, flu, and tuberculosis are all exacerbated by smoking.

“Don’t smoke.” And avoid secondhand smoke.

If you currently smoke, the CDC recommends counseling, nicotine replacement products, prescription non-nicotine medications, and behavioral therapy to help you quit.

7. Manage Chronic Illness Symptoms

The immune system is weakened by chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.

For example, not managing blood sugar properly can cause a chronic, low-grade inflammatory response that weakens the body’s defense system, according to a review published in Current Diabetes Reviews in October 2019.

According to a study published in the July 2017 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, people with asthma are more susceptible to catching — and dying from — the flu.

Living with a chronic illness is like driving a car with only three tires, says Kaplan. “If you get a virus, your body has to work harder to recover,” he says.

Managing chronic conditions better frees up resources to help the body fight infection, Lin says. So keep track of your medications, doctor visits, and healthy habits. Not only you can Maintain a Healthy Immune System, but Your body also thank you.