Giving Your Immune System An All-Natural Makeover

Your immune system plays a critical role in helping your body ward off infection and controlling your body's reaction to allergens. Caring for your immune system can be challenging, but taking the time to invest in an all-natural immune system makeover could help your body function more effectively in the future.

Here are three simple (and natural) ways that you can boost your immune function in the future.

1. Get some extra sleep.

Getting some extra sleep each night can do wonders for your body's immune system. Your body engages in important cell restoration while you are sleeping, and your immune system recharges itself while you are resting at night.

Studies show that sleep deprivation can weaken your immune system and compromise your body's ability to respond to infection or other environmental threats. Getting some extra sleep can be a simple way to give your immune system the time it needs to rest so it can fire on all cylinders in the future.

2. Eat anti-inflammatory foods.

Fighting inflammation is one of the jobs your body's immune system is charged with. While inflammation can be beneficial if you have a sprained ankle or allergies since this type of inflammation triggers the body's immune response, chronic and persistent inflammation can be harmful to your immune system.

Your diet could be contributing to hidden inflammation that is weakening your immune system. Avoiding foods that are high in sugar and made from refined flour (ingredients that can cause hidden inflammation) and eating anti-inflammatory foods like avocados and wild salmon instead will help you overcome the inflammation that could be compromising your immune system.

3. Take a vitamin D supplement.

Research showing the link between adequate levels of vitamin D in the body and the immune system's ability to fight off viral infections is emerging.

Scientists discovered that vitamin D levels in the blood decrease with age, which means taking a vitamin D supplement as you get older could be essential for helping your immune system regulate its response to viral infection. It's especially important to increase your vitamin D intake during the fall and winter months, when sunshine (a natural source of vitamin D) is not as readily available.

Giving your immune system an all-natural makeover by sleeping more, eating anti-inflammatory foods, and taking a vitamin D supplement can be a great way to improve your immune system's response to infection in the future. For more information, contact an immunologist in your area.