The best ways to strengthen your immune system

Gulf Today Report

Since there is no cure or vaccine for COVID-19 yet, you can follow this guide to strengthen your immune system to fight against the coronavirus.

Stay hydrated

Even though drinking plenty of water is not directly connected to preventing coronavirus, but it can have a positive effect on your overall health. Make sure you drink enough water each day that your urine is pale yellow in colour. Health experts recommend drinking about eight glasses of water daily.

Get enough sleep

A study conducted in 2015 found that people who slept less than six hours each night were more likely to fall sick than those who got seven hours or more. Therefore, the amount of sleep you get each night makes a huge difference to your body’s ability to fight any sort of infection. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Sleep in rooms without electronics or screens, avoid large meals, caffeine and sugar before bed to improve your sleep.

Exercise regularly

Research shows that regular, moderate exercise can reduce inflammation and support your immune system’s cells. Health experts recommend moderate exercise at least 150 minutes each week, or about 20 minutes a day. You can also do 75 minutes of more intense exercise a week, or do a combination of both. Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, biking, swimming or jogging, while more intense exercise includes running or other cardio.

Manage your stress

In this age of uncertainty, lowering your stress level is easier said than done. But health experts say high stress levels have negative impacts on your body’s ability to fight off illness. Health experts recommend stress management techniques such as avoiding social media, meditating, practicing controlled breathing, doing yoga, or other activities that help you feel relaxed.

Eat plenty of healthy foods

No one food will prevent infection, but following basic dietary guidelines, like eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and protein is a good start. There are several specific items you can add to your diet to strengthen your immune system and overall health, for example eating certain foods that are high in vitamin C, like red bell peppers, broccoli, strawberries, spinach, and citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Sunflower seeds and almonds are recommended because they are high in vitamin E, while other foods, like yogurt, garlic, poultry and chickpeas, have other health benefits. Ginger, turmeric, green tea, papayas, kiwis, shellfish and mushrooms are also good items to add to your diet.

Be careful about taking supplements

Vitamins and other supplements don’t necessarily prevent you from catching a disease, no matter how much you take. Health experts say other disease prevention methods, like frequent hand-washing, is going to help you more than any supplement will. However, there is some evidence that regularly taking certain supplements can reduce the duration of certain illnesses.