Drowsiness, bad mood and mild depression can appear even when you are doing well: both in health and in life. Where do they come from? The decline in strength occurs due to a decrease in the protection of the immune system. Insomnia and lack of sleep, overwork at work, a sedentary lifestyle and many other factors are the cause of weak body defenses.
Let's take a closer look at the causes of a decrease in immunity, ways to increase it, including folk ones, and talk about prevention for a healthy body.
Causes of reduced immunity. How and how to raise immunity for an adult at home
To answer this question, let's remember what immunity is. The protective function of the body, aimed at resisting both external threats (bacteria, viruses, microorganisms) and internal ones (infection of its own cells), is called the immune system, or shortly - immunity. In winter, a hardened body easily copes with the root cause of colds and flu, since its immunity is quite resistant. If hardening is not an empty phrase for you - visit the pool, do exercises, douse yourself with water in the morning - you will get sick many times less.
What are the main reasons for the decrease in body defense?
- Improper nutrition: life from snack to snack, frequent use of fast food, lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet will sooner or later weaken the immune system, because it does not receive the vitamins and minerals it needs.
- Increased loads or the reverse side - hypodynamia.
- , which will result in neurosis and irritation. If you sleep less than seven hours a night, waking up and going to bed at different times, you are more likely to start to get tired and succumb to depression.
- Bad habits: Smoking and alcohol irreversibly lead to a decrease in immunity.
- Bad ecology.
Now back to the question: how to strengthen immunity at home? To begin with, eliminate the possible causes of a decrease in the body's defenses: normalize nutrition, sleep, physical activity and you yourself will feel how your mood improves, strength and joy from life appear. If there is such an opportunity and desire, give up cigarettes and alcohol or reduce their use to a minimum.
The next step is special exercises. For example, daily exercises, yoga or jogging will make you more enduring, you will wake up faster. Add to this list dousing with water, swimming or a cold shower - the body will begin to harden and resist the external effects of viruses and microbes of colds. The main thing, as in any business, is to know the measure, since excesses can negatively affect the general condition.
If there are no contraindications to high temperatures - feel free to go to the bath! The complex of bath procedures improves blood circulation, reduces the risk of infectious diseases, accelerates the growth of immunoglobulins and removes toxins from the body. No wonder the bath is popular to this day.
Drink more than a liter of clean water daily. Not tea, coffee or juice, but pure water regulates metabolism and removes its products from the body.
The first thing you should pay attention to is a sudden change in the body and well-being. If you begin to notice that you get tired earlier than usual or become irritable more often, feel the first signs of a cold or symptoms, immediately purchase a vitamin complex and analyze your sleep and diet. If you find that something is missing in your food or that you are sleeping less than seven hours a night, correct it as soon as possible.
Frequent use of antibiotics, poor heredity, stress and pollution in the environment also weaken the body and negatively affect the immune system.
In ancient times, Russia had its own folk remedies for immunity, to fight diseases and blues. One of these was ginger root. Grated ginger was mixed with honey, lemon juice, dried apricots and eaten several tablespoons a day. Ginger tinctures also help well.
If you turn to seasonings, you can highlight cinnamon, turmeric, bay leaf and pepper. They will not only add flavor to your dish, but will also become a quality prophylaxis to maintain immunity.
We must not forget about garlic and onions, which can put a person on his feet in a short time. Their phytoncides and essential oils block the entry of viruses and microbes into the nasopharynx, thus disinfecting the body.
Aloe juice contains a number of B, C, E vitamins and amino acids, which are necessary for the body to have a good metabolism. Juice is best mixed with honey in a 50/50 ratio, because otherwise it is very bitter. Unfortunately, all the useful substances in it live only for a day, so it is better to cook it before use.
To block one of the causes of reduced immunity - stress - you can use soothing decoctions. They do not have an immunostimulating effect, but they will help you calm down and look at the situation with an easy head.
After consulting a doctor, you can start using medicinal herbs: echinacea purpurea, ginseng, dandelion, licorice, St. John's wort and others. Herbs improve memory, blood circulation, increase efficiency, tone and soothe. It is worth consulting for the reason that many of the herbs contain toxins and the opposite effect of use is possible.
Improving immunity with folk remedies is good at the stage of prevention. At the same stage, the use of certain foods will be very beneficial for overall health. Let's figure out which ones are worth keeping on your desk every day.
Honey
No wonder it is so popular during winter illnesses. Honey contains a number of vitamins A, B, C, E, K and folic acid. But its main advantage is the content of flavonoids - substances that affect the activity of enzymes in the body.
It is only important to remember that honey should be natural, not artificial. It is worth approaching its purchase carefully, purchase only in trusted places.
nuts
Omega-3 fatty acids, which, alas, are not produced by the body, but are necessary for its functioning, are found in walnuts or their mixtures. And vegetable proteins are akin to proteins in meat. Only the body does not slagging, but, on the contrary, removes old slags. Useful minerals - potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus - will become the backbone of a healthy immune system with daily consumption of nuts. At the same time, they clean blood vessels from plaques, resist heart disease, reduce the risk of stroke and atherosclerosis, and generally taste good.
Milk products
To increase immunity, it is better to use fermented baked milk, kefir or acidophilus. The presence of probiotics in them improves the digestion process and helps to remove harmful substances from the body. It is better to consume dairy products either in the evening or early in the morning on an empty stomach.
Berries: chokeberry, raisins, grapes
Improving the state of the endocrine system, the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, lowering cholesterol and enriching the body with a large amount of vitamins and trace elements - these are the merits of chokeberry. You can use it in the form of berries, and in the form of leaves, and in the form of tinctures.
Raisins have a positive effect on the treatment of cough, runny nose and bronchitis. The recommended norm for use is 200 grams per day, the minimum is 50 grams. To improve the functioning of the heart and lungs, a handful of raisins are soaked in cold water, left overnight and drunk immediately after waking up.
Grapes reduce the risk of blood clots, contribute to the good functioning of the cardiovascular system, increase hemoglobin levels, cleanse the blood and improve liver function.
You can buy all of the above at any grocery store, which makes this method of prevention affordable and fast.
In the case when it is not possible to support the immune system with folk remedies or products, if you need to act on the immune system quickly, they resort to the help of pharmacology. What drugs to boost immunity should be taken?
- Herbal infusions- the first thing you should pay attention to. They mobilize T-lymphocytes, contribute to the rapid destruction of harmful microorganisms, are inexpensive and available at the nearest pharmacy.
- bacterial enzymes- the use of these drugs generates the effect of the vaccine - T- and B-lymphocytes, IgA immunoglobulins are activated. The use of these drugs increases the effectiveness and reduces the duration of complex treatment, reduces the need for antibiotics.
- Medications that boost immunity.
- Biostimulants- products of biological origin, aimed at increasing the resistance of the immune system.
- Hormonal drugs.
To strengthen the immune system, you need to get the following vitamins:
- Vitamin A or retinol. One of the most important vitamins - contributes to the normal functioning of the organs of vision, circulatory and cardiovascular systems. Favorably affects the general state of immunity.
- Ascorbic acid or vitamin C. Promotes the destruction of harmful microorganisms, has a beneficial effect on metabolism, removes harmful substances.
- Vitamin B. Plays an important role in biochemical processes, increases resistance to the penetration of foreign bodies. This group of vitamins is best taken either after surgery or in case of frequent stress.
- Vitamin E. Engaged in the production of special antibodies to resist the penetration of viruses.
- Vitamin D. Takes care of the growth and strength of bones. It is also produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight. Those who are unlucky with the number of sunny days in a year can eat fish, meat, cottage cheese, cheese and eggs to replenish this vitamin.
