No more snuff nose and coughing! Click on the video and see the best tips to boost your immune system and get you through the cold months!
Why should we strengthen the immune system?
An intact immune system reliably fights off colds or flu . In the cold months, we need three things in particular: light to release the vital vitamin D and mood hormones like serotonin , exercise to get the immune cells and messengers of the immune system on their toes. And enough rest to reduce the stress hormone cortisol.
With these 25 tips you strengthen your immune system:
1. Soak up the sun
When sunrays hit our skin, it forms vitamin D. This activates our killer cells – cells of our immune system that recognize and kill diseased cells. Incidentally, vitamin D is also found in sardines or salmon. Eat fish more often – its omega-3 fatty acids also inhibit inflammation – and then go to the fresh air.
Here we have the best fish recipes for you.
2. Learn serenity
Give yourself a break more often and try not to stress too much. Your body will thank you, because anxiety, depression and chronic stress can cause inflammation and weaken the immune system.
3. Maintain friendships
The joint visit to the cinema, the double header, cooking with friends: Take time for friends and family . Their support not only reduces everyday stress, but also increases your satisfaction and your immune system, studies show.
4. Move, move, move
Regular exercise, especially endurance sports such as running or swimming, activates the killer cells and other helpers of our immune system. Who jogs about several times a week , is less likely to get sick and suffers less, if it caught a virus. In addition, sport helps with stress reduction.
But care: not much helps much. Those who train too long or too intensely harm their immune system. If sport is a stress factor for our body, we are even more susceptible to infections. Therefore, if you have already caught a virus, you should take a break before you feel better.
5. Sleep well
During sleep, the stress hormone cortisol, which slows down the body’s immune system, only circulates in the body. In addition, we release growth hormones at night, which are also needed for wound healing. So try to get at least seven hours sleep . Here are our best tips against insomnia.
6. Train thermoregulation
Regular sauna sessions keep the cardiovascular system fit and strengthen the body’s defenses. Through the change of hot and cold, the body learns to bleed through the mucous membranes more or less strongly : in heat, the vessels widen, in cold weather they contract. This allows the body to better adapt to unusual temperatures.
7. Seasonal food
Rhubarb in spring, berries in summer, apples and carrots in autumn, cabbage in winter: Organize your diet as possible in the seasons and eat local fruits and vegetables. So you get fresh, healthy goods, save money and do on top of anything else for the environment. With the BRIGITTE.de seasonal calendar you can get an overview quickly and easily.
Here are our best autumn recipes and winter recipes for connoisseurs.
8. Ventilate frequently
The moister the air, the quicker most mucus and saliva droplets absorb water and sink to the ground through its weight. There they are harmless. The moisture also does the nasal mucosa well. In addition, air from outside naturally contains far fewer viruses. The Robert Koch Institute recommends at least ten minutes fresh air supply three to four times a day , preferably with a breather.
9. Get on the bike protected
Cold in itself is no reason for a cold. Rise better on a bike, instead of driving by bus and train – because between many people you are much more likely to an infection. However, you should protect yourself while cycling. Wear a (windproof) jacket and tie a scarf in front of your mouth and nose so you do not breathe cold air. The reason: At low temperatures, the vessels of the respiratory tract contract and the defense cells of the immune system are less likely to get to their place of use – correspondingly unhindered, the common cold viruses can multiply.
10. Wash away viruses
Anything that washes away pathogens that have just reached the nasopharynx reduces their chances of survival. In addition to nasal rinsesbring hot drinks, soups and spicy food to run the nose. For example, we have a very effective recipe for chicken soup for you.
11. Fly safely
Often it is too cold in the plane because of the ventilation technology. That’s why you should always take a thick sweater on board – and drink a lot. Because the air from the air conditioner dries out the mucous membranes, cold viruses can attack us so easily.
12. Feeding well
70 percent of our immune cells accumulate in the gut. A versatile diet keeps him healthy. Eat many different fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts .
13. Do not spend the night in the Ice Palace
Yes, fresh air is good and especially in the bedroom it should not be too warm. However, an icy bedroom is not suitable for curing. Cool sleep is okay, but less than 18 degrees are stress for the body.
14. Stay away from the face
We deliberate, make phone calls, dream – and often unconsciously touch our eyes or nose. On average, every four minutes, we get in the face! Anyone who manages to reduce this also reduces the potential for attack by the viruses.
15. Be good to yourself
Negative pressures permanently increase our cortisol levels and weaken our immune system. So avoid the usual stress-relievers and pathogens like alcohol, smoking, lack of sleep and bad food.
16. Bathing feet
Are great for the home: Hot-cold foot baths get your circulation going. Place two water containers side by side, one with cold and one with about 38 degrees warm water, which reaches to the middle of the calf . Put your feet into the warm water for about three minutes and then into the cold water for up to 20 seconds. Repeat this three times. Always finish the footbath with cold water.
17. Wash hands
Those who wash their hands thoroughly five times a day are only half as likely to catch cold as they are. Please note: Soap between the fingers for 20 to 30 seconds, then rinse thoroughly and dry. Make it a routine to always wash your hands when you arrive at home or in the office.
18. Kiss more often
Our immune system is designed for learning. The more pathogens it has to fight, the better it develops weapons – at least as long as a certain amount is not exceeded. That’s why it does not hurt children to come in contact with dirt. And kissing should be healthy for the same reason: the partner’s germs train the immune system.
19. Spoon porridge
Break through your breakfast habits more often: Warm breakfast porridge made from oats, wheat or millet is doing well in the morning , because heating makes the meal and grain easier to digest. According to Ayurvedic teachings, our “Agni” – the digestive fire – runs in the morning in the low light. And then quickly overstrained when we serve him bread, sausage, cheese and possibly an egg. Meanwhile, Western nutrition experts also recommend pancake with warm grain and flake food because it provides us with everything: with protein, fat, carbohydrates, B vitamins, ballast and minerals.
We have even more delicious ideas for a healthy breakfast for you.
20. Dress flexibly
Often we notice weather changes too late – go out of the house in the morning too thick or too thinly dressed. So that the wrong choice of clothes does not end immediately in a cold, you should wear as many layers of clothing as possible. With this “onion look” you are well prepared in the cool months. Because when you freeze, the defense cells of the immune system no longer come so quickly to their place of use – the faster can catch cold viruses.
21. Relax mind and body
Everyone has their own way of reducing everyday stress. As well as regular exercise and adequate sleep, relaxation methods such as yoga exercises , autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation are proven to be helpful for inner peace and well-being . Meditation, Tai Chi or Qigong exercises are also helpful. Corresponding courses are now available throughout Germany.
22. Drain the steam
Even if you go to so much trouble – anger and grief can not always be avoided. Do not stay passive. Skin on the table, angrily stomps on: Anyone who releases steam stimulates the activation of T cells – these are the specialists of the defense. If you like it quieter: Talk to a trusted person about your needs. Or keep a journal, that has a similar effect.
23. More laugh
Through our nervous and hormonal system, the mental state influences the state of the body’s own defenses. We are particularly vulnerable to infections when worried. Conversely, the defense works well when we feel well or are in love . But even small pleasures stimulate our immune system. Experiments have shown that laughter increases the level of immunoglobulin in the blood. So then: watch comedies, go to the cabaret or even make nonsense.
24. Try natural remedies
If you have already caught the cold, you can also take natural remedies. Extracts of the African geranium (Umckaloabo) or Echinacea preparations (Red sun hat) can activate certain defense cells. This is not clearly proven scientifically, but many study results indicate their effectiveness.
25. Collect vitamins
Take enough vitamins over fruits and vegetables. This pays off:
- The classic Vitamin C catches the free radicals – aggressive oxygen particles that damage our cells. Although it can not prevent a cold, but reduce the duration of infection and symptoms.
- Vitamin A keeps the surfaces of the mucous membranes moist and strengthens their defense performance. Therefore, this vitamin plays an important role especially in diseases whose causative agents penetrate through the mucous membrane.
- Vitamin B6 activates the immune cells and stimulates the production of messengers in the immune system. – Vitamin E protects against free radicals and promotes the growth and maturation of defense cells. The trace elements zinc, iron, selenium and copper also have a positive effect on the activity of the immune system.