5 practical ways to improve immunity

Want to actually improve your immunity without relying on sky-high-priced health products or engaging in extreme diets? At present, the five methods that have been cross-validated by clinical nutrition, sports medicine, and public health academic circles and can be implemented by ordinary people are: the principle of a rainbow diet with as many ingredients as possible every day, an exercise plan of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobics combined with two strength training sessions per week, a work and rest habit of getting 7-9 complete sleep cycles every day, setting aside 1-2 times a week for a complete pressure adjustment window, and vaccination for the corresponding age group.

Many people’s first reaction is to associate improving immunity with “replenishing”. Several friends around me who have suffered from colds and allergies before the season change changed their schedule first, and the results are quickest. In fact, there are two schools of thought in academic circles regarding work and rest. One school believes that as long as the total sleep time is enough for 7 hours and the sleep cycle is complete, going to bed late and getting up late will not affect the activity of immune cells. The other school emphasizes the matching between cortisol rhythm and melatonin secretion, and even recommends going to bed before 23:00. Ordinary people actually don’t have to worry about which one to choose. As long as you don’t feel drowsy and tired for more than 30 minutes after waking up, the schedule is suitable for you. I used to have a friend who worked in new media. He used to stay up until 3 o'clock every day and sleep for 5 hours. He always got bronchitis during the change of seasons. Later, he adjusted to sleep for 7.5 hours no matter what time he went to bed (that is, five complete sleep cycles of 90 minutes). Last autumn and winter, he didn't even sneeze a few times.

After talking about work and rest, I have to mention the most cost-effective means of strengthening immunity that is ignored by most adults-vaccines. Don’t think that vaccines are just for children. This is currently the most direct method of immune enhancement recognized by the medical community. Of course, there are different opinions: some people think that the antibody titer obtained by natural infection is higher and more useful than vaccination. This is true, but the risk of natural infection is too high. For example, once you get herpes zoster, the neuralgia left behind may last for several years, and even normal life may be seriously affected. On balance, vaccination is obviously more cost-effective. People aged 20 to 40 can get the flu vaccine and HPV vaccine on a routine basis. Those over 50 can get the shingles vaccine. My mother got the shingles vaccine last year. Before, her aunt in the same community had the disease and couldn't sleep all night long. Now she dances square dance every day without any worries.

Talking back to the food that everyone is most concerned about, I receive private messages almost every week asking "should I take vitamin C or protein powder to improve immunity?" To be honest, if your daily diet is adequate, all the money will be wasted. There are also different schools of debate about diet. Vegans believe that plant-based diets have better anti-inflammatory effects and are more conducive to improving immunity, while omnivores insist that animal proteins have a more complete amino acid composition and higher absorption efficiency. In fact, you don’t have to take sides. Ordinary people just need to eat more than 25 kinds of food every week, including dark green vegetables, high-quality protein, and whole grains every day. The richer the color of the food, the better. That’s basically enough. I used to have a fitness friend who ate chicken breast, broccoli, and seemed to be eating very healthily. However, he still caught a cold when the season changed. Later, he was advised to add mushrooms, berries, and grains of various colors. After the variety of ingredients was enough, he didn’t even have oral ulcers last winter. By the way, don’t believe those health products that claim to “enhance immunity”. The National Food and Drug Administration has never approved the relevant effects. If you buy them, you will have to pay IQ tax.

After eating enough, you must move in the right way, otherwise it will hinder your immunity. Someone asked me before if running 10 kilometers a day can improve immunity. The answer is that for ordinary people, doing twice the result with half the effort may have the opposite effect. The consensus in the sports medicine community is that moderate-intensity exercise can increase immune cell activity, but after more than one hour of high-intensity exercise, there will be an "immune window period" of 3-72 hours, making you more susceptible to pathogen infection. Of course, there are also people who run marathons all year round who say that their immunity is better than that of ordinary people. That is because their bodies have adapted to the pressure of high-intensity exercise for a long time. Ordinary people do not need to follow suit. Just 150 minutes of brisk walking, cycling, or swimming every week, plus two strength training sessions like dumbbell lifting and squats, is enough. I once had a colleague who had to run 5 kilometers every day in order to improve his immunity. As a result, he caught two colds in a row. Later, he changed to walking 20 minutes home from get off work every day and playing badminton once on the weekend, but he never got sick again.

Finally, let’s talk about factors that many people think are metaphysical, but can really affect immunity: emotions and stress. The fields of psychology and immunology have confirmed that long-term chronic stress will keep cortisol at a high level, directly inhibiting the function of immune cells. Of course, some people think that "stress is motivation and will not affect the body at all." Short-term high pressure is indeed no problem. If you are in a tight state for two or three months in a row, your body will definitely send you a signal. You don’t have to force yourself to be positive every day. You can set aside an hour or two every week and don’t reply to any work messages. You can just be in a daze, go to the park, or play with cats and dogs to relieve your emotional pressure. Last year, I worked on a project for a month straight. I had blisters on the corners of my mouth and painful lymph nodes for almost two weeks. Then I forced myself to turn off my phone every Sunday afternoon and go to the park to sit for an hour without thinking about anything. Within half a month, everything was fine.

Actually, I have been through a lot of pitfalls in the past two years. In order to improve my immunity, I bought several hundred yuan of immune globulin health products and ran 10 kilometers every day. As a result, I still had a fever for three days after the season changed. Later, I slowly understood that immunity is the body's own defense system. You don't need to give it too many supplements. As long as you don't torment it, eat well, sleep well and move enough, don't put too much pressure on yourself, and get the necessary vaccines, it will naturally work well. There is no need to worry about whether you fully meet the standards. The rhythm that suits you is the best. After all, the body's feelings are always more reliable than the cold standard data.