If you are interested in feeling your best and dodging illness like a pro, take measures to improve your immune system. Having a healthy immune system allows your body to function optimally and to fight off illnesses.
Fortunately, enhancing your immune system does not require complicated procedures. Here are a few key ways to boost your immune system:
Exercise Daily
Exercise helps to foster your body’s white blood cell (WBC) count. Also called leukocytes, these are important immune system cells and are responsible for fighting infections and diseases.
By exercising, your white blood cells are activated and are ready to defend against pathogens, thereby giving your immune system a boost. Taking a 30-minute walk every day helps.
Get Adequate Sleep
It is a well-researched fact that lack of sleep can weaken your immune system. Your body produces fewer antibodies when you do not get enough sleep.
Think back to the last time you caught a cold. Can you make a connection between that and sleep deprivation? Aim for at least seven hours of sleep every night to maintain peak immunity.
Reduce Stress Levels
When you are stressed, your immune system is compromised. During a stress response, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which can suppress a healthy immune system response and can affect the antibodies that line the gut and respiratory tract.
Effective stress management techniques will reduce your stress levels, and you will be able to feel it physically. Engage in calming exercises to reduce the stress you feel in your muscles, and this will help to enhance your immune system.
Get Your Vitamins
Vitamins that boost your immune system include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin B-6. You can get these vitamins from the food you eat, such as fruits and vegetables.
Having your vitamin levels tested can reveal where you are deficient, so you can increase your intake of the vitamins you lack. Your immune system will thank you by keeping you healthy.
Test Your Immune System Function in Midlands, South Carolina
Primary care doctors can help you achieve optimum health and boost your immune system by providing individualized advice about your diet, lifestyle, and nutrition. At SC Internal Medicine Associates and Rehabilitation, we offer advanced health screenings to our patients in order to determine nutritional deficiencies and metabolic issues.
We offer micronutrient, antioxidant, and immune function tests as well as a nutrition evaluation. We believe that many health conditions are a result of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle.
Based on the results of your tests, we can give advice and recommendations so that you can achieve optimum health and a healthy immune system. Our team of healthcare specialists can customize diet advice that works along with your own food preferences and your daily schedule.
When you address your nutritional deficiencies and start making healthy changes to your lifestyle, you will experience an improved sense of well-being. To schedule a consultation with our medical team, contact us today by calling us at (803) 749-1111 or request an appointment via our online form now. We look forward to seeing you!