Ever noticed that when life gets busy, or you have a lot on, it seems so much easier to get sick? This is because you tend to be stressed during these times and stress has a negative impact on our immune system. This can lead to a vicious cycle too. When you get sick your stress levels increase – which makes it harder for your immune system to fight off the illness.
Read this post written by a Ballarat naturopathy to learn some effective tips to properly manage your stress and immune system. Knowing when you are stressed and how to help reduce the stress can thus help improve your ability to recover from illness.
Problem with Stress
Stress triggers a fight or flight response in your body, part of which leads to an increased production of cortisol. This isn’t a problem for a short amount of time, say long enough to escape from a dangerous situation. The problem occurs when we have high cortisol for a long period of time. Read more about stress here.
Long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to a weakening of your immune response. It lowers the number of lymphocytes – one of your white blood cells – present in your body. Your body’s ability to fight off antigens is also reduced, making you more susceptible to infections. Stress also triggers responses in your immune system, such as inflammation. Inflammation can make you more vulnerable to illness.
Effective Tips in Keeping Stress in Check
So, what can you do to help support your body and help keep your stress levels low? You can try doing some of these activities at home:
- Eating a healthy diet rich in nutrients that your immune system needs for optimal function.
- Supporting your immune system with appropriate supplements known to support immune health. Check our selection of herbal teas here.
- Moderate levels of exercise to help get your body moving will also help support your immune system.
- Getting a good night’s sleep to support both your immune system and your nervous system.
- Practice good sleep hygiene, a routine helps you have a good night sleep.
- Practicing deep breathing, this will help to support your nervous system and reduce the production of cortisol.
Naturopathic Support for Stress and Immune System
Sometimes you can try these, but they aren’t enough. Depending on how long this cycle has been going on you may need some additional support.
A Naturopath can give more appropriate support on an individual basis in a consultation. What is most appropriate for you can be different for others. Some of the things that might be suggested include herbs and nutrients; aiming to support both your nervous system and your immune system. Have a chat with our naturopaths here.
Did you like what you learned from the article above? You might want to checkout other articles regarding pregnancy and women’s health issues here.
