Improving your immune system against Covid-19

In March this year, World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Countries throughout the world are grappling with imminent dangers that the coronavirus poses to humanity. Amid the pandemic, individuals can take several key measures to fight the deadly virus. First of all, you need to maintain hygiene standards such as washing your hands regularly, more so, if you have travelled by public transport. Use an alcohol sanitizer to disinfect your hands. Wear a mask to cover your nose and mouth. It is to be noted that individuals in distinct pre-existing illnesses such as cardio vascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory issues are at a higher risk of having Covid-19 complications. Moreover, it also aggravates with age as the normal immunity takes a hit as one gets older.

So, go through the given below list of measures you can undertake to strengthen your immunity.

Improve your diet

In determining your health and immunity, the food you consume has a key role to play. Eat those vegetables and fruits frequently which are rich in Beta carotene, Ascorbic acid and other vital vitamins. Moreover, foods such as mushrooms, tomato, bell pepper and green vegetables like broccoli, spinach are also good options to build flexibility in the body against infections.

Some natural immunity supplements include ginger, gooseberries (amla) and turmeric. There are several herbs that help in boosting immunity like garlic, Basel leaves and Black cumin. Certain seeds and nuts like sunflower seeds, Flax seed, pumpkin seeds and melon seeds are excellent sources of protein and vitamin E.

Don’t Compromise on Sleep

One of the best ways to help your body build immunity is sound sleep of 7-8 hours. Lesser sleeping hours can make your feel tired by preventing the body take a rest and ultimately weaken your brain activity. This has repercussions on other bodily functions directly impacting immunity. Moreover, lack of sleep directly impacts the action of the flu vaccine.

Stay Hydrated

To keep yourself hydrated, drink up to 8-10 glasses of water every day. Hydration helps throw out the toxins from the body and reduces the probability of flu. To beat the heat, you can also go for other alternatives such as juices made of citrus fruits apart from coconut water.

Don’t Skip on Exercise

After your exercise routine, you should go for a nutritious diet. Exercise helps in showing the doors to the toxins. Doctors prescribe exercising 30 to 45 minutes subject to your stamina. If you are yet to begin exercising, this is the right time. To help you exercise at home, you can take assistance of Youtube channels and several apps. Regular exercise increases metabolism, which has a direct connection with body immunity.

Destress Yourself

Undoubtedly, these are testing times and an extended period of staying indoors has its repercussions on your mental health. The uncertainty and anxiety pertaining to the pandemic is impacting millions across the globe.

However, there are a couple of steps we can follow frequently to help assuage our stress.

• Practice meditation

Too much anxiety leads to the release of a hormone named cortisol. This hormone damages your response to nearby surroundings and makes your body vulnerable to infections. You will continuously feel anxious. To come out of this, meditation is the best solution. To calm your nerves, this is the tried and tested activity. There are a number of Youtube channels that will help you meditate.

• Avoid Smoking, alcohol and other addictive substances

Smoking leads to the weakening of your lung capacity and impairs the cells lining your respiratory tracts. These cells are vital to tackle viruses that enter by means of your nasal orifices. Apart from this, people who engage in heavy consumption of alcohol develop suffer from Acute Respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This is one of the conditions caused by Covid-19 infection.

Travelling

At this point of time, all sorts of non-essential travels should be avoided. You must be aware that most Covid-19 positive cases are imported. Later on, people unknowingly spread the virus to the communities. Keeping this in mind, avoid travelling in public transport system and public places to avoid any probability of exposure to the virus. Even if travel is a necessity, ensure to cover your nose and mouth with a mask and keep handy an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Don’t forget to sanitize each time you touch a surface. It is to be noted that Covid-19 strain can stay on surfaces for a couple of hours which can expand to days also.

Supplements and immunity boosting foods

All the above-mentioned tips are definitely going to help you. Still, you would be looking to boost your immunity in a jiffy so as to prepare your immunity system to fight the deadly virus. In case you are worried about getting the right amount of nutrients from your diet, you are advised to consult with your doctor pertaining to a supplements to boost your immune system.

Have a look at some of the common supplements and superfoods that can help.

• Vitamin C

This vitamin is a vital member in the army of immunity. It helps avoid the common cold. It acts as a powerful antioxidant and protects against destruction induced by oxidative stress.

• Vitamin D

Against respiratory tract infections, vitamin D supplements have a mild protective effect. Most people are deficient in Vitamin-D, so it’s recommended to consult with a doctor about taking a Vitamin D supplement to improve immune response.

• Zinc

Zinc is a quintessential component to WBC (white blood corpuscles) which tackles with infections. Zinc deficiency often makes one more vulnerable to flu, cold and other viral infections.

Also Read: How to go out and Stay Safe During the Coronavirus Pandemic

• Elderberry

Elderberries are full of nutrients including minerals like potassium, iron, phosphorus, copper and vitamins, such as vitamin A, B, and C, proteins and dietary fibre. Elderberries have antibacterial and antiviral qualities which help fight cold and influenza.

• Turmeric and Garlic

Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, which boosts the immune function. Garlic has powerful anti-inflammatory and antiviral traits which nurtures body immunity.