How to support our immune system after the Covid-19 pandemic UK News

So it’s time to remember how to support our immune system, here are my top tips

1. Sleep well. Sleep is the recharging time of the immune system. It literally feeds it. There are no easy shortcuts to good sleep without good long-term medication. Sleep experts tell us it’s all about routine and maintaining the best sleep conditions – cool, dark, and calm. It is important to relax away from challenging work or screens. There are many mindfulness apps to help you with this process.

2. Regular activity. There is good evidence that regular activity keeps our immune system in shape and supports its actions with an anti-inflammatory effect. 30 minutes / day in bursts of 10 to 30 minutes of moderate exercise is the right “dose”. Think of the exertion of moderate exercise as such that you can talk, but not sing!

3. Stay calm. The hormones that our body produces when we are stressed hamper our immune system. I suspect that many of you will recognize that you have developed a cold or a sore throat at times when your body or mind has been stressed. Exercise is a natural antidote to stress (two birds with one stone!), But also to laughing or taking time for the things you love to do.

4. Take care of your good bacteria. It might sound a little strange, but recent research reveals that the billions of bacteria we all have in our gut are essential for supporting our immune systems and keeping us happy. You can better care for them by “feeding” them fiber, and the more variety the better. So that means a range of different vegetables in your diet. Aim for 30 different types of vegetables during the week, with a range of colors… now it’s a challenge!

It doesn’t matter if you don’t do all of this all the time, but anything you can do helps. Getting those annoying minor illnesses can stop you in your tracks. So, just at a time when so many of us want to get out and have some fun, think about how you can support your body’s best asset.