We’re living in stressful times
Stress impacts your concentration, your sleep, immune system and digestion. To help you navigate stressful times, A.Vogel can help.
Manage stressIf there’s one thing we’ve all become acutely aware of recently, it’s the importance of having a strong immune system. Our immune system is what protects us from infections and illness caused by viruses, bacteria,fungi and other harmful pathogens. A strong immune system can help us resist infection or if necessary, mount a quick response to fight off any invading pathogens and prevent more serious illness or complications.
You don’t need to wait till you encounter a cold, flu or respiratory tract virus, or cut yourself in the garden to find out how strong your immune system is. Here are six common signs that could indicate your immune system is weak, along with six ways to strengthen your immune function.
Two or three colds a year is normal for most adults. Making a full recovery in seven to ten days is also normal. If you find yourself coming down with colds more often, taking longer than ten days to shake it, or developing secondary infections like sinusitis or bronchitis, then your immune function is likely to be weaker.
Long term or chronic stress wreaks havoc on your immune system. High levels of cortisol, the hormone that’s released when you’re under stress may decrease the number of infection-fighting white blood cells (lymphocytes) and interferes with normal white blood cell communication. So stress raises cortisol levels which suppresses your immune system’s ability to fight off invaders and viruses, which leaves you open to contracting more infections, like colds and flu.
Good and sufficient sleep is essential for a healthy immune system. Yes, we all know someone who boasts of how they can get by on just 4 or 5 hours’ sleep every night, but most of us need at least 7 – 8 hours’ sleep a night for good health. Our bodies perform a myriad processes while we’re asleep, one of which is to improve the performance of T-cells which improves our resistance to colds, flu, cold sores and other diseases. These T cells are immune cells that fight against invading bacteria and viruses and studies have shown that getting good sleep is essential in improving the efficiency of these T cells.
Say you’re getting enough sleep but still find yourself feeling exhausted and tired much of the time. First, it’s worth ruling out other conditions like stress-induced insomnia or sleep apnoea which can lead to daytime fatigue, but otherwise it could be your immune system. Simply put if your immune system is weak, your body tries to conserve its energy to fuel it to fight off germs and viruses, leaving you feeling constantly tired.
If you notice that cuts and wounds take longer than normal to heal, your immune function could be running a bit below par. We all have an idea of what’s normal. Think back to the last time your finger accidentally met the sharp edge of the knife when cooking. It wasn’t anything too serious, definitely a slice through the skin and maybe a little blood. It hurt though. So you ran it under water, maybe applied some antiseptic ointment and a plaster and carried on. It was a tad sensitive the first day but two days later, you’d forgotten it had even happened. It had healed. If you notice a normal scrape or cut taking longer to heal, that’s a sign your immune system is struggling to keep up.
Have you needed quite a few courses of antibiotics in the last few months? Experiencing frequent diarrhoea, flatulence (gas), bloating or constipation? You could have an imbalance in your gut bacteria (known as the microbiome). Healthy gut bacteria and microorganisms that reside in your gut support your immune system and protect you from invading pathogens. Around 70% of your immune system resides in your gut. So any imbalances in these gut bacteria populations that lead to common symptoms like diarrhoea, gas and bloating could also be indicating that your immune defences are compromised, leaving you open to chronic inflammation and viruses.
Stress impacts your concentration, your sleep, immune system and digestion. To help you navigate stressful times, A.Vogel can help.
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