Boosting Your Immune System - by Dr. Brynna Connor

I’m often asked, “How do I improve my immune system?" Especially this year, as we have been faced with so much illness and pandemic fears, I have been asked over and over again- “Am I doing enough to stay healthy? What else do I need to do to keep my immune system strong?”

Now more than ever, the phrase "boosting our immune system" seems to be a buzz “word”. What does this mean?

Your immune system is the part of your body that helps you fight off infection, and, if and when you get sick, it is your immune system that keeps any infection under control, kills the infection, and removes the infection from your body. We want to keep this incredible system of ours running at optimal performance.

How do you do this? You can focus on these steps to help you maintain a strong immune system.

First of all; sleep is under-rated! As important as a healthy diet and exercise are, proper sleep is every bit as critical. Poor quality sleep and lack of sleep can cause many physical health issues. This can also affect what may not appear as a physical issue - at least not right away - and that is your mood.

Sleep deprivation can increase stressors, and as a result, outside stress can seem much worse. Depression and anxiety follow closely behind. Additionally, if we don’t get enough sleep, physical health is closely affected. Blood pressure changes, your metabolism is altered and you diet is negatively affected (hello carbs and sugar to stay alert!). If sleep deprived, we often don't have time or make the time, to exercise and our physical activity level suffers. This can directly affect our brain and even our emotional regulation.

Sleep is actually involved in the regulation of these immune cells mentioned above, and these cells help fight off infection. Those of us who are sleep deprived actually have an increased risk of contracting a virus or bacterial infection when exposed to these pesky germs.

Your cognitive and decision making skills are also affected without proper sleep. This affects our concentration in school and work.

I chuckle when I admit that power naps are THE way I got through med school, but it is true! As the quintessential “napper”, I could literally shut my brain off in two minutes, close my eyes, and take a power nap for 25 minutes, then wake up and hit the books again.

Limiting media exposure and eliminating blue light (TV, phones, tech screens) close to bedtime will help your body's circadian rhythm and lead to better sleep.

Decrease caffeine in the afternoon and evening. Have you ever wondered why you can’t drink several cups of coffee now that you're in your 30s or 40s like you could in college? It's not unusual for college students to drink several cups of coffee, or even a few pots, while cramming for exams, and still be able to go to sleep at night. This is because our liver does a beautiful job of detoxifying when we are young - when we are a bit older not so much. This is part of the aging process and can cause us to have more restless sleep, if we can sleep at all. When the body has excess caffeine our sleep is also less restorative, not to mention the trips to the restroom in the middle of the night!

Your bedtime routine and sleep hygiene is critical too. Sounds bizarre but establishing a bedtime routine of unwinding, and using your bed for sleep and sex only while trying to go to sleep and waking up at the same time daily will lead to more restful nights and rejuvenated mornings.

The other key component to an optimized immune systems is a diet rich in key immune boosting ingredients. Some of the most important are:

• Vitamin B6; which is crucial to support biochemical reactions in the immune system. B6 rich foods include chicken, cold water fish, (salmon/tuna) and green veggies, chickpeas (Yum! Hello, hummus!).

• Vitamin C; one of the biggest immune system boosters of all! A lack of Vitamin C can make you more prone to illness. Your body does not store Vitamin C so you need to take it in daily, but it’s in many foods, and if you don’t get enough there are high quality supplements available. Foods rich in Vitamin C include oranges, grapefruit, tangerine, strawberries, bell peppers, kale, broccoli and spinach.

• Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection. Foods rich in E include nuts, seeds, and spinach.

• Zinc, known as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, helps the main immune cells perform their job, and, in turn, helps our bodies recover from, and respond to illness. Adding a zinc supplement to your regimen, especially right now, helps to ensure that you are better prepared for those pesky germs we discussed earlier. Foods high in zinc include red meat, shell fish and nuts.

Finally, stress is a major factor that affects both our sleep and diet and it's more prevalent in times of uncertainty. One of the best ways for you to handle stress and anxiety is to reach out to a friend who may be going through the same things or to talk to a professional.

Dr. Connor is a physician who is double board certified in Family Medicine and Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine.

512-382-9500 | www.doctorconnor.com brynnaconnormd@gmail.com