Introduction
Our bodies contain an intricate network of cells, tissues and organs working in harmony to protect us from potential diseases. This system of defense is the immune system; its job is to defend your body against pathogens while mitigating damage from toxic agents such as chemicals. For maximum efficiency of this protection mechanism to operate effectively and remain healthy it’s best practiced regularly using some strategies; here’s five ways you can keep your immune system in tiptop condition:

Eat Healthy
Eating healthily is an age-old way of ensuring that our bodies receive essential nutrition. A plant-based diet including fresh fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs may offer antiviral and antimicrobial features that protect us against infections. Research demonstrates how herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cumin, garlic, oregano and thyme possess essential properties to fight microorganisms, harmful fungi and bacteria. Furthermore, vitamins and minerals play an integral part in building immunity – protein is particularly essential to improving it – so seafood, meat and poultry provide lean sources of proteins to build and strengthen immune cells while fighting infections.

Avoid Stress
In chronically high stress situations, our bodies produce cortisol which interferes with its immune system’s duties of protecting us against illness and disease. Cortisol may temporarily suppress your immune system during short-term episodes of stress; however, if cortisol levels remain consistently elevated for an extended period, your immunity becomes compromised and exposes your body to potential threats. Research effective stress-reduction techniques to find one that suits you. Meditation is one such activity, which is effective at relieving tension. Other effective stress-reducing activities include journaling, drawing, golf, fishing and yoga.

Sleep Well
When we sleep, our bodies undergo an important healing and regeneration process that helps establish a healthy immune response. Sleep plays an essential role in creating these essential immune cells such as cytokines, T cells and interleukin 12 which fight inflammation and regulate an immune response – without sufficient rest, your defenses could become vulnerable leaving you open to potential harm and raising cortisol levels; to optimize health ensure good sleep hygiene is prioritized with at least 7 or 8 hours of quality rest each night as this could make all the difference when optimizing health!

Exercise regularly
Regular physical activity has immense health benefits; regular exercise helps lower your risks of chronic illnesses like cardiovascular conditions, obesity and type II diabetes. Exercise stimulates your body to produce endorphins that relieve pain and increase feelings of pleasure, acting to decrease stress. Since stress impacts immune response negatively, exercise is key to increasing its strength. Regular physical activity can strengthen and expand your immune system by dispersing effective immune cells throughout your body and hunting and eliminating infected cells more effectively. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity every week for maximum effectiveness.

Avoid Alcohol and Cigarettes
Consuming too much alcohol has many adverse health effects on the body, including reduced immune functions. Because detoxing alcohol from one’s system takes priority over maintaining standard immunity functionalities. Furthermore, excessive alcohol intake reduces recovery times from illness while simultaneously hindering infection fighting capacities and fight capability. Studies indicate that people who drink excessively often face pneumonia, some types of cancers, liver disease and kidney failure among other illnesses as a result of overconsumption.

While it is safe to consume alcohol moderately, smoking should be avoided entirely. Cigarettes contain toxic substances which can significantly lower immunity. Cigarette smoke releases chemicals such as cadmium, nicotine, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides which destroy immune cells while interfering with their growth and functions; moreover it has also been linked to lung disease and autoimmune disorders. If you currently smoke cigarettes now could be the time to kick the habit; consider nicotine replacement products, counseling sessions, non-nicotine agents and behavioral therapy as resources available to help ease you out of smoking addiction.

Conclusion
For optimal immunity, choose a healthy lifestyle. Aiming to limit external and environmental assaults while strengthening our own immunity by engaging in healthy practices will keep our immune system operating at peak performance.

Karishma is an enthusiastic freelance writer. She enjoys covering women’s health and overall wellness topics in her pieces. Karishma currently writes for Nutra Pure HCG, an online store offering HCG drops that help users shed 1 to 2 pounds per day safely and naturally.