And the good news: anyone can strengthen their immune system! This includes switching off to recharge your batteries as well as getting enough sleep, exercise and fresh air.
In order to strengthen the body's defences, a good supply of nutrients is also very important. In fact, psychological factors also play a role, because stress and negative thoughts rob the body of energies that it could otherwise put into the immune system. Below we would like to give you some tips on how you can strengthen your immune system.
Tips for boosting your immune system
Eat a balanced and varied diet:
Local foods are best, as are foods that are in season. You can find out more about this under Nutrition!
Regularly open windows (ventilation):
Viruses gather, especially in closed up rooms. Open the windows completely for 10 minutes 3–4 times a day. This can reduce the number of viruses and bacteria enormously.
Wash your hands:
Regular hand washing with soap is essential to protect yourself and others from infection. Otherwise by touching door handles or shopping trolleys, for example, viruses will spread unhindered.
Avoid crowds:
Especially during cold and flu seasons, the risk of being infected with droplets by sneezing or coughing increases in large crowds. So if you are afraid of infection, you should avoid buses, trains or large events, for example.
Room humidifier:
Not only does fresh air do you good, but also moist air. High humidity protects the mucous membranes from drying out, and moist air allows saliva droplets to sink down faster, where they can no longer harm us.
Avoid touching your face:
Viruses often enter our bodies through the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose. So avoid touching your face with your hands as much as possible, because around 150 different bacteria live on our hands.
Nasal rinsing and nasal sprays:
With nasal rinsing, you can flush out pathogens in the nasopharynx. Nasal sprays with seawater that moisturise and cleanse the nasal mucous membranes are also practical.
Saunas and contrast showers:
Temperature changes from hot to cold stimulate blood circulation and train the body to react more quickly to temperature fluctuations. Caution: if you are ill, avoid the sauna and this additional burden!
Laughter is healthy!
Laughing more often lowers the production of stress hormones – and hearty laughter loosens the muscles, opens the bronchi and gets the circulation going!
Soak up the sun:
Vitamin D is one of the most important building blocks of the immune system and is formed in our skin by the action of sunlight. So take a short walk on a regular basis during your lunch break – then the sun will be at its best!
Friends partying on the beach
Drink plenty of fluids:
Heated air allows the mucous membranes in our nose and throat to dry out, which impairs the natural barrier against pathogens. Aim to drink at least 2 litres of water or unsweetened tea throughout the day.
Don’t stress!
Short periods of stress get our immune system on its toes, but constant, chronic stress weakens our body. Both the specific and non-specific immune responses work slower as a result.
Gut microbiome:
Our immune system and intestines are closely linked: around 70% of the immune cells are located in the intestine and a large part of the immune response takes place here. A healthy gut microbiome helps ward off pathogens.
Spicy food:
Cook that really hot and spicy food again! This stimulates the circulation in the nasal mucosa – so annoying pathogens can be transported out faster!
Nicotine and alcohol:
The immune system also suffers from nicotine consumption because it paralyses the cilia of the bronchi and hinders the formation of important antibodies. Anyone who gets really drunk deactivates their defences for at least a whole day.
Get moving outside:
Even moderate exercise in the fresh air increases blood circulation. Endurance athletes in particular have stronger defences, as the activity of the immune cells increases.
Adequate sleep:
Our immune system does its best work while we sleep. More defence cells are released and increase the effectiveness against viruses and bacteria.
Aim for normal weight:
Being either overweight or underweight can weaken the immune system. People who are underweight are more likely to suffer from a nutrient deficiency, while being overweight promotes inflammatory processes that put additional strain on the immune system.
Kneipp therapy or foot bath:
If you don’t like going to the sauna, instead you can step into cold water – known as Kneipp therapy – or do cold foot baths in the comfort of your own home. Important: Always end with the cold foot bath (15–18°C).
Already been kissed today?
Finally, the best tip: Kissing makes you happy – of course only if we're kissing a healthy partner… But kissing is good defence training because countless bacteria are exchanged which our body has to fight.