Cold and flu season got you down? 

Sometimes getting sick is inevitable, and while we may not be able to prevent it, there are things you can do to help your body fight the germs.

Read on to get to know your immune system and ways you can boost your immune system naturally.

Your Immune System & Why It’s Important

The National Cancer Institute defines an immune system as[1]:

“A complex network of cells, tissues, organs, and the substances they make that helps the body fight infections and other diseases.”

Basically, the immune system’s goal is to keep us as healthy as possible. 

And your immune system is extremely smart and constantly learns new things, which is called acquired or adaptive immunity. If your immune system is exposed to a new germ for the first time, it tries to fight it off. You may get sick for a while, but once your immune system learns the new germ, it will remember it and be able to fend it off if it were to ever return.[2]

When your immune system is healthy and strong, it can better fight off all the harmful stuff and protect your body. So how do you maintain a healthy immune system?

7 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Immune System

Natural ways you can boost your immune system can be as easy as making a few lifestyle changes or getting up a moving a little more often.

Keep reading to check out a few of them: 

Get Enough Sleep

Your health is closely linked to your sleep quantity and quality. 

Studies show that adults who get fewer than six hours of sleep each night are more likely to catch a cold than those who sleep more.[3]

Getting enough quality sleep can help strengthen your immune system. Have you noticed that when you’re sick, you tend to sleep more? That is because it allows your immune system to fight the illness.[4]

To get better sleep, practice good sleep hygiene, like limiting screen time, keeping your room dark, using a sleep mask, and trying to go to bed at the same time.

Get Moving

Moderate exercise is the name of the game. 

While prolonged and intense exercise can suppress your immune system, moderate exercise on the other hand can boost your immune system. It can also help reduce inflammation and aid in regenerating immune cells regularly.[5] 

Try bicycling, swimming, jogging or brisk walking, or (light) hiking. 

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is essential for your overall health. Dehydration can lead to headaches, which in turn, can lead to hindering your physical performance, mood, focus, heart and kidney function, and digestion. These issues can cause you to be increasingly susceptible to illnesses.[6]

How much water you should drink generally depends on you—drink when you’re thirsty, stop when you’re no longer thirsty. Increase your water intake if you intensely exercise, work outside, or live in a hot environment.[7]  

Eat Well

Healthy eating is important as it provides the nutrients you need to support your immune function.[7,8] Here are a few things to implement into your diet:

Whole Plant Foods: 

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

These foods have nutrients and antioxidants that can help combat free radicals and decrease inflammation. The nutrients in fruits and vegetables can help reduce the duration of a cold, as well.[9,10]

Fermented Foods:

Yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, natto.

These foods are rich in good bacteria, called probiotics, which your body needs to maintain a healthy gut.[11] What does a healthy gut have to do with your immune system?

Research shows that all of that good bacteria can help your immune cells tell the difference between healthy cells and harmful organisms.[12] Get to know your gut, how it is linked with your immune system, and how you can improve it by reading our blog.

Healthy Fats:

Olive oil, salmon, chia seeds.

Healthy fats may help boost your immune system’s response to harmful germs by decreasing inflammation. Chronic inflammation tends to suppress the immune system.[13]

Limit Added Sugars:

Recent evidence suggests that refined carbs and added sugars play a role in obesity, which can increase your risk of getting sick. Limiting those foods can help decrease inflammation and help with weight loss, which results in a reduced risk of chronic health conditions.[14,15,16,17]

Ideally, your sugar intake should be less than 5 percent of your daily calories. 

Watch Stress Levels

While short-term stress is important for the body in terms of establishing survival mechanisms during fight-or-flight situations, long-term stress can promote numerous health issues, such as inflammation and imbalanced immune cell function. Therefore, managing your stress levels is a major key component of maintaining a healthy immune system.[18,19]

Do whatever makes you happy and puts you at ease. Mindful practices you can try include journaling, yoga, or meditation. Try escaping for a minute in a book. If you think you would benefit from it, try talking with a therapist or counselor.  

Break Unhealthy Habits

While it’s easier said than done, breaking unhealthy habits such as smoking or drinking too much alcohol can play a role in boosting your immune system.

Smoking and excessive alcohol use tend to make your body less likely to fight diseases.[20,21]

Supplements

Sometimes your immune system just needs a little help. Studies have shown that adding supplements, like the ones listed below, to your health routine can help strengthen your immune response. 

Vitamin C: 

This antioxidant can help protect your cells against free radicals. Since your body doesn’t produce vitamin C on its own, you need to get it from your diet or through supplements. 

While vitamin C doesn’t prevent colds, it can help when you have one. One study showed that taking vitamin C daily can help reduce the duration of colds by 8 percent in adults and 14 percent in children.[22,24]

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is a great supplement when it comes to your immune health. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help support immune health.

If you’re deficient in vitamin D, your chances of getting sick can increase. Therefore, supplementing with vitamin D can help counteract this problem.[23] 

When combined, vitamin D and vitamin K are a true power couple. D and K vitamins are well known for being modulators of the immune system, acting as anti-inflammatory powerhouses, and even supporters of healthy immune responses.[26,27,28]

Check out our Vitamin K2 & D3 supplement, formulated with MK-7 and enhanced absorption properties, by clicking here.

Zinc:

This nutrient is found all throughout the body and is important for immune and metabolism functions. Supplementing with zinc has been shown to help reduce the longevity of a cold by 33 percent.[25,29]

Garlic:

Did you know your favorite flavoring is beneficial for your health and known to boost your immune system? 

Studies have shown that a daily garlic supplement can help reduce colds and the length of time you have a cold or the flu.[30,31]

Probiotics:

Remember those probiotics we discussed earlier? If your diet is lacking in fermented foods, a probiotic supplement can with your immune function. 

Research has shown that probiotics’ proprietary blend helps reduce levels of harmful bacteria to promote immune function.[32,33,34]

Check out our Probiotic, containing 51 billion CFUs and 11 probiotic strains, by clicking here.

Multivitamins:

Multivitamins are your all-in-one health supplement. Those that contain optimal levels of vitamins B6, C, and D provide antioxidants and immune support. 

Evidence suggests that a multivitamin may improve immune function, especially in those 55 and older.[35]

Check out our Multivitamin, which contains a high potency of 19 essential vitamins and minerals, by clicking here.

Before introducing a new supplement into your health regimen, we recommend discussing it with your physician first. 

Now you know what to do, check out our other blog on what habits to avoid to help strengthen your immune system further.

Ready to transform your health, and help out your immune system along the way? Check out our line of Pattern Wellness supplements by clicking here. And check out the rest of our blogs for even more health tips.

Resources:

1. National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). NCI Dictionary of Cancer terms. National Cancer Institute. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/immune-system 
2. InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. How does the immune system work? [Updated 2020 Apr 23]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279364/ 
3. Prather, A. A., Janicki-Deverts, D., Hall, M. H., & Cohen, S. (2015). Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Sleep, 38(9), 1353–1359. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.4968  
4. Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Haack, M. (2019). The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. Physiological reviews, 99(3), 1325–1380. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00010.2018 
5. Simpson, R. J., Kunz, H., Agha, N., & Graff, R. (2015). Exercise and the Regulation of Immune Functions. Progress in molecular biology and translational science, 135, 355–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pmbts.2015.08.001 
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, June 6). Water and healthier drinks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/water-and-healthier-drinks.html 
7. Childs, C. E., Calder, P. C., & Miles, E. A. (2019). Diet and Immune Function. Nutrients, 11(8), 1933. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081933 
8. Christ, A., Lauterbach, M., & Latz, E. (2019). Western Diet and the Immune System: An Inflammatory Connection. Immunity, 51(5), 794–811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2019.09.020 
9. Serafini, M., & Peluso, I. (2016). Functional Foods for Health: The Interrelated Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Spices and Cocoa in Humans. Current pharmaceutical design, 22(44), 6701–6715. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666161123094235 
10. Hemilä, H., & Chalker, E. (2013). Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2013(1), CD000980. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4 
11. Ozen, M., & Dinleyici, E. C. (2015). The history of probiotics: the untold story. Beneficial microbes, 6(2), 159–165. https://doi.org/10.3920/BM2014.0103 
12. Wu, H. J., & Wu, E. (2012). The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Gut microbes, 3(1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.4161/gmic.19320 
13. Dhabhar F. S. (2014). Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. Immunologic research, 58(2-3), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-014-8517-0 
14. Johnson, R. J., Sánchez-Lozada, L. G., Andrews, P., & Lanaspa, M. A. (2017). Perspective: A Historical and Scientific Perspective of Sugar and Its Relation with Obesity and Diabetes. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 8(3), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.116.014654 
15. Chow K. F. (2017). A Review of Excessive Sugar Metabolism on Oral and General Health. The Chinese journal of dental research : the official journal of the Scientific Section of the Chinese Stomatological Association (CSA), 20(4), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.3290/j.cjdr.a39218 
16. Acton, R. B., Vanderlee, L., Hobin, E. P., & Hammond, D. (2017). Added sugar in the packaged foods and beverages available at a major Canadian retailer in 2015: a descriptive analysis. CMAJ open, 5(1), E1–E6. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20160076 
17. DiNicolantonio, J. J., Lucan, S. C., & O'Keefe, J. H. (2016). The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 58(5), 464–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2015.11.006 
18. Dhabhar F. S. (2014). Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. Immunologic research, 58(2-3), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-014-8517-0 
19. Cohen, S., Janicki-Deverts, D., Doyle, W. J., Miller, G. E., Frank, E., Rabin, B. S., & Turner, R. B. (2012). Chronic stress, glucocorticoid receptor resistance, inflammation, and disease risk. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(16), 5995–5999. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118355109 
20. Sarkar, D., Jung, M. K., & Wang, H. J. (2015). Alcohol and the Immune System. Alcohol Research : Current Reviews, 37(2), 153–155. 
21. Sopori M. (2002). Effects of cigarette smoke on the immune system. Nature reviews. Immunology, 2(5), 372–377. https://doi.org/10.1038/nri803 
22. Hemilä, H., & Chalker, E. (2013). Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2013(1), CD000980. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4 
23. Vanherwegen, A. S., Gysemans, C., & Mathieu, C. (2017). Regulation of Immune Function by Vitamin D and Its Use in Diseases of Immunity. Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America, 46(4), 1061–1094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2017.07.010 
24. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2020, November 17). Vitamin C. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-c/art-20363932 
25. Hemilä H. (2017). Zinc lozenges and the common cold: a meta-analysis comparing zinc acetate and zinc gluconate, and the role of zinc dosage. JRSM open, 8(5), 2054270417694291. https://doi.org/10.1177/2054270417694291 
26. Femke Baeke, Tatiana Takiishi, Hannelie Korf, Conny Gysemans, Chantal Mathieu, Vitamin D: modulator of the immune system, Current Opinion in Pharmacology, Volume 10, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 482-496, ISSN 1471-4892, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2010.04.001. 
27. Nazli Namazi, Bagher Larijani, Leila Azadbakht, Vitamin K and the Immune System, Nutrition and Immunity, Pages 75-79, 31 July 2019, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-16073-9_4, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-16073-9_4. 
28. Nicola Maruotti, Francesco Paolo Cantatore, Vitamin D and the Immune System, The Journal of Rheumatology, March 2010, 37 (3) 491-495; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.090797. 
29. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2020, November 17). Zinc. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-zinc/art-20366112 
30. Josling P. (2001). Preventing the common cold with a garlic supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey. Advances in therapy, 18(4), 189–193. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02850113 
31. Nantz, M. P., Rowe, C. A., Muller, C. E., Creasy, R. A., Stanilka, J. M., & Percival, S. S. (2012). Supplementation with aged garlic extract improves both NK and γδ-T cell function and reduces the severity of cold and flu symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled nutrition intervention. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 31(3), 337–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2011.11.019 
32. Kim, S. K., Guevarra, R. B., Kim, Y. T., Kwon, J., Kim, H., Cho, J. H., Kim, H. B., & Lee, J. H. (2019). Role of Probiotics in Human Gut Microbiome-Associated Diseases. Journal of microbiology and biotechnology, 29(9), 1335–1340. https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.1906.06064 
33. Singh, V. P., Sharma, J., Babu, S., Rizwanulla, & Singla, A. (2013). Role of probiotics in health and disease: a review. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 63(2), 253–257. 
34. Wilkins, T., & Sequoia, J. (2017). Probiotics for Gastrointestinal Conditions: A Summary of the Evidence. American family physician, 96(3), 170–178. 
35. Fantacone, M. L., Lowry, M. B., Uesugi, S. L., Michels, A. J., Choi, J., Leonard, S. W., Gombart, S. K., Gombart, J. S., Bobe, G., & Gombart, A. F. (2020). The Effect of a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement on Immune Function in Healthy Older Adults: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 12(8), 2447. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082447