4 Simple Tips for Supporting Your Immune System This Winter
Cold and flu viruses are detected year-round. However, these viruses are most common during the fall and winter seasons, peaking between December and February.
Reduced sun exposure, less physical activity, and a holiday season filled with stress, sugar and alcohol can all play a role in weakening your immune system.
Discover how to best support your immune system this winter with these four simple tricks.
Fortify with Vitamin D
Approximately ⅓ of Canadians are deficient in Vitamin D.
This rate is concerning as multiple cross-sectional studies associate lower levels of vitamin D with increased infection rates.
Between 1988 and 1994, researchers studied 19,000 subjects, comparing vitamin D levels and upper respiratory infection rates. Individuals with lower vitamin D levels (<30ng/ml) were more likely to self-report a recent infection than those with sufficient levels. Even after altering seasons, age, gender, body mass, and race, the findings were consistent (1).
For ages 9-70 years old, Health Canada recommends 600 IUs of Vitamin D per day, with a tolerable upper intake of 4000 IUs per day. Check-in with your healthcare provider to get a recommendation specific to your needs.
Test don’t guess
Bloodwork is the best way to test your levels of Vitamin D. You can request testing from your medical doctor or naturopath.
Unfortunately, OHIP doesn’t often cover this testing and will cost you about $30.
I recommend testing twice a year: once in the summer months and once in the winter as your levels change sunlight exposure.
Enjoy alcohol in moderation.
Excessive alcohol consumption can have adverse effects on your immune system. Alcohol disrupts your immune pathways, impairing your body’s ability to defend against infection.
You do not have to consume alcohol regularly to experience negative health consequences. Research shows that acute binge drinking can be enough to affect the state of your immune system (2).
One of the most clinically significant effects of alcohol is that it affects the structure and integrity of the gastrointestinal tract, wreaking havoc on our microbiome.
The human microbiome is a collection of approximately 40 trillion different organisms, including good bacteria that help us digest food, regulate our immune system, and produce vitamins. Your microbiome is critical for overall health. We destabilize our microbiome when we overindulge in alcohol, causing bloating, gas, diarrhea and inflammation.
Prioritize rest
Building scientific evidence shows that sleep loss can negatively affect different parts of the immune system.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) states: “Restricting sleep to 4 hours per night for 6 days, followed by sleep for 12 hours per night for 7 days, resulted in a greater than 50% decrease in [the] production of antibodies to influenza vaccination, in comparison with subjects who had regular sleep hours.”
Here are a few quick tips for getting the best rest:
Stay away from screens: Exposure to the blue light found in screens tricks our brains into thinking it’s daytime, reducing melatonin production: a hormone essential for sleep. Reducing blue light exposure before bed will help you signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep.
Get out in the sunlight: Natural daylight helps regulate our circadian rhythms, otherwise known as our sleep-wake cycles.
Stick to a schedule. Even on the weekends and over the holidays, it’s crucial that you stick to a consistent sleep schedule. You can’t make up for sleep deprivation!
Keep moving your body.
We all know by now that exercise positively impacts our overall health, most notably our cardiovascular health. But did you know that regular exercise can also support your immune system, reducing your likelihood of getting sick?
Both acute and habitual exercise have immune-boosting effects. Exercise increases the circulation of immune cells that fight off infections and improves the exchange of white blood cells between the bloodstream and the tissues. (3)
Exercise has also been shown to decrease the likelihood of severe outcomes in patients with COVID-19 infections.
A recent 2021 study showed that regularly active patients (150 minutes of activity per week) had less severe outcomes following a COVID-19 infection than those who were consistently inactive. Inactive patients were at a much higher risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death. (4)
However, it’s worth noting that while regular, moderate exercise is helpful in immune regulation, illness risk increases in athletes during periods of intensified training and competition (3).
To stay balanced, move your body for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Choose an activity that you enjoy so you will remain consistent with ease.
For more information on incorporating more movement into your lifestyle, check out my blog, “How to Reintroduce Movement to Your Body After Extended Rest.”
In Conclusion
There are many ways to support your immune system through the winter season. Topping up your vitamin D, managing your alcohol intake, and balancing rest and movement are all evidence-based ways to facilitate a healthy immune system.
Bring any additional questions to your next adjustment or email me: dr.christinamallinos@gmail.com.
Sources
1. Ginde, A.A., Mansbach J.M., Camargo C.A.Jr. (2009). Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and upper respiratory tract infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med, 169(4), 384–90. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447082/
2. Sarkar, D., Jung, M. K., & Wang, H. J. (2015). Alcohol and the Immune System. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 37(2), 153–155.
3. Nieman, D.C., Wentz, L.M. (2019). The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8(3), 201-217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.009.
4. Sallis, R., Rohm Young, D., Tartof, S.Y., Sallis, J.F., Sall, J., Li, Q., Smith, G.N., Cohen, D.A. (2021). Physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes: a study in 48 440 adult patients.
British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55, 1099-1105. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/19/1099
