With fall upon us and winter not too far behind, now is the time to boost your immune system. Your immune system is your body's defense against infections and it is responsible for protecting your body from outside invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins.
When your immune system is weakened you have a higher risk of experiencing frequent infections and severe symptoms. There are a number of ways to tell if you have weakened immunity, here are 7 signs you have a weakened immune system and the steps you can take to strengthen it.
1. You have consistent digestive problems
Many do not connect our digestive system or gut health to our immune system, however over 70% of our immune system is our gut. Consistent issues with your digestive tract can be one of the main signs of poor immune health. In fact, when your gut health is out of balance this has a negative influence on your immune function and you may experience conditions such as skin disorders, stress, sleeping problems, constipation, and others will generally follow.
Having a healthy and balanced gut microflora is critical for a healthy immune system. Unfortunately, our modern diets include too many processed foods and artificial ingredients that are not good for our body. Such foods do not support a healthy gut and decrease your immune health. In addition, even with a healthy diet, levels of beneficial microorganisms tend to decrease with age. A few lifestyle changes, especially relating to diet can keep your immune system strong.
2. You find you are easily stressed or can not manage stress
Not all stress is bad, and it can sometimes motivate us to make a needed change or prepare for something important. However, long term stress weakens the body and can start to effect your body's immune system in a negative way.
It is not a coincidence that you get an upset stomach, lose your appetite, or feel nauseated when stressed. Our brains and our gut heavily influence each other and can have negative impacts when exposed to prolonged stress. There is a reason you tend to get sick after a stressful week at work or after traveling for long periods of time. Managing energy and stress directly effects your immune system.
Conversely, if you find you are easily stressed or can not manage normal stress well its likely your gut health and immune system are unhealthy. High stress levels are a sign of a weak immune system and an unbalanced gut microflora.
3. You find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep
Not getting enough sleep, finding it difficult to sleep, and waking up often are warning signs that your immune system is weak. Studies show that when you don't get enough quality sleep, antibodies and cells are reduced, making your immune response decrease when exposed to viruses such as the common cold. Sleep disorders can lead to chronic fatigue, poor diet, increased stress, and more serious health issues such as heart disease.
A proper diet full of nutrient-rich food, especially magnesium, and probiotics can insure you're keeping your digestive tract balanced and therefore your immune system strong so it can fight infections. In turn, this will help your body properly shut down and increase your quality of sleep.
4. You bruise easily or heal slowly
Microorganisms in the body influence everything from mental health to how well your body heals after a wound or sickness. If you find you're easily bruised or wound healing is slow it could be a sign of immune system struggles. Healing depends on having healthy immune cells and beneficial bacteria plays an important role.
Research shows probiotic species of bacteria displace pathogenic bacteria, help heal the epithelial cells of the skin, and have antibiotic properties that decrease infections. The research on the connection between the gut-brain-skin-immune system is ever increasing.
5. You get sick often
One of the most obvious signs of a weakened immune system is constantly catching a common cold or getting frequent infections. While two to three colds throughout the year is normal, more then that can indicate a weak immune system. Frequent infections such as ear infections, yeast infections, sinus infections or oral infections can also indicate your immune system and body microflora is out of balance.
Antibodies depend heavily on a strong immune system to fight infection. If you find you're sick often, decrease highly processed food intake and be sure to get plenty of servings of antioxidant-rich food such as berries, dark leafy greens, and pecans. In addition, get plenty of vitamin C and D from natural food sources or via supplementation.
6. You have breakouts or other skin problems
Your skin is the largest organ in the human body and can be one of the first indicators of an internal problem or imbalance. Rashes, acne, inflammation, dryness, or skin infections can all indicate a weak immune system.
Because over 70% of our immune system is in the gut, skin issues can also indicate an imbalance in our microbiome. Conditions such as skin spots, inflammation, eczema, and rosacea can be a sign of bad bacteria dominating your microbiome. Especially if skin conditions present themselves along with digestive issues (bloating, diarrhea, constipation), it's time to focus on gut health.
7. You feel sluggish, achy, and/or stiff
Breakouts and other skin problems can be a sign of a weak immune system
Lastly, a weakened immune system can often make you fatigued even when you've had quality sleep. A combination of poor gut health, stress, and low energy can cause stiffness is your joints and the rest of your body. This lack of energy is likely because your body is using it to fuel your immune system to fight off harmful bacteria. This becomes a vicious cycle as the tiredness, stress, and weakened system further decreases in health.
6 Ways to boost your weak immune system
Boosting your immune system and balancing your gut microflora goes hand in hand. Without balance, your immune system will suffer and without a strong immune system your microflora becomes unbalanced. Here are a few quick ways to improve your gut flora and strengthen your immune system.
(1) You are what you eat.
No supplement, probiotic, prebiotic, or drug can make up for a poor diet full of highly processed foods. The microorganisms in your digestive system can not thrive without plenty of fruits, vegetables, and clean protein sources. Processed foods do not feed beneficial microorganisms and can significantly decrease populations.
(2) Get enough sleep.
Turn off electronics at least 1 hr before bed and get plenty of magnesium in your diet.
(3) Minimize your stress.
Give meditation a try, turn off the news, and try to set aside time to get outdoor time. Reading a book or getting in a workout can also reduce stress.
(4) Workout.
This one cannot be stressed enough. Working out can increase your gut health, give you more energy, reduce stress, and of course reduce weight. Working out also decreases depression by releasing natural endorphins.
(5) Take a prebiotic or probiotic.
Prebiotics and probiotics add beneficial microorganisms such as yeast and lactic acid bacteria to your digestive system. Fermented foods are not only full of beneficial microbes, but supply trace minerals, vitamin B, and enzymes. Adding a prebiotic or probiotic supplement to your diet may be a great way to improve your gut health and immune deficiencies.
Prebiotics (EM-X Gold®) provide “food” meant to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, while probiotics (PRO EM-1®) are live good bacteria. Not all probiotic supplements are high quality or will actually provide benefit. Besides being easier to take then a pill, fermented liquid probiotics have live microbes that are already active and ready to work. This provides you with a more stable product with higher concentrations of microbes.
(6) Decrease chemical usage.
Research shows that homes that heavily use harsh chemicals and disinfectants result in people with lower populations of microorganisms in their microbiome. Chemicals in cleaners do not discriminate when killing bacteria. Allergies, sensitivities, and some respiratory illnesses have recently been linked to common household chemicals. The overuse of disinfectants and antibiotics actually contributes to a weak immune system.
Instead, use all natural cleaning products (APC500™). Using ingredients with natural antibiotic properties such as yucca, apple cider vinegar, and beneficial microorganisms like Lactobacillus, will keep your home clean while maintaining beneficial microbe populations.