Spring is in the air! Days are getting longer, birds are chirping, trees are budding and spring flowers are popping up everywhere. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of spring and the promise of longer, warmer days ahead. But don’t forget: Winter hasn’t loosened its grip just yet.
Spring weather can be unpredictable—warm and sunny one moment, and cold, rainy or even snowy the next. These seasonal mood swings can make us more susceptible to colds and viruses, so it’s just as important now as ever to give your immune system some extra TLC. Here are our top tips for boosting your body’s natural defenses:
1. Keep Hibernating
Don’t crawl out of your den just yet. Continue making sleep a top priority to keep your immune system in tip-top shape. High-quality sleep is closely linked with immune health, and poor-quality sleep can make you more susceptible to illness.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, try cutting off screen time an hour before bedtime. The blue light emitted from your phone, TV, tablet or computer may disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm (AKA: its natural sleep-wake cycle).
2. Breathe More, Stress Less
Managing stress and anxiety is pivotal to immune health. Long-term stress can cause inflammation and imbalances in immune cell function. While the source of stress is often unavoidable, there are ways to help lessen its effects on a daily basis.
Have you tried meditation, regular exercise, yoga, mindful breathing or soaking in a warm saltwater bath? The key is to find the combination of techniques that works best for you and incorporate them into small moments throughout your day.
3. Recharge Your Batteries
While your days may not be packed with sunshine right now, even little bits here and there can help build up your vitamin D supply, which research has found plays a significant role in keeping your defense system strong. So get out when you can, and recharge your solar batteries with vitamin D!
If you can’t soak up the rays outside, look to food-based sources of vitamin D, such as tuna, salmon, egg yolks and fortified milk or orange juice.
4. Meal Plan in Technicolor
With local spring produce on its way, now’s the perfect time to infuse your meal plan with tons of color from fresh vegetables and fruit.
The antioxidants in these foods help decrease inflammation, while the fiber in them feeds the healthy bacteria in your gut. A healthy gut microbiome can help improve your immunity and keep harmful pathogens from entering your body through your digestive tract.
5. Sip Your Way to Health
Hydration doesn’t directly keep you from getting sick when you come into contact with germs or viruses, but it does help support the systems that do. In addition to regulating body temperature, keeping joints lubricated and improving sleep, cognitive function and mood, it helps deliver nutrients to your cells.
Your immune system depends on nutrients it receives from your bloodstream, and the bloodstream is made mostly of water. So if you’re not properly hydrated, your body can’t transport nutrients to the organs of your immune system, leaving it to defend you from antigens on an empty tank.
6. …And Keep Sipping When You Need a Boost
As we emerge from winter’s deep freeze, we’re looking forward to all the things: Spring break, summer vacations, more frequent outings and social gatherings. And Vyral Defense is just the thing to give you that added protection and peace of mind you want in these special situations.