As kids return to school, their daily routine shifts. Not only will they have to adapt to things like homework and going to bed early, they’re also going to be exposed to more bacteria and germs than before. Your kids are going to be around many students who may have germs and who might spread them onto the objects that your kid will come into contact with such as lockers and classroom desks. While there isn’t much you can do to prevent germs from coming into contact with your kid, you can do a few things to help your child raise his or her immune system, thus preventing illness from contact with the bacteria. So, what are some ways to strengthen you and your family’s immune system for the back-to-school season?

Get Sleep

According to mayoclinic.org, sleep is a crucial part of immune system support. When you are sleeping, your immune system releases what are called cytokines. Cytokines are a type of protein and they essentially work to prevent you from developing an infection. People who lack sleep will produce less of these protective proteins, thus increasing their risk of developing an infection. When it comes to ideal numbers regarding how much sleep you should get, it varies from person to person. According to sleepfoundation.org, most school-aged kids and teens need somewhere between 7 and 11 hours of sleep whereas adults need slightly less with optimum times ranging from 6 to 9 hours.

Exercise

Another one of the best immune support tips is to get more exercise. As medlineplus.gov illustrates, physical activity does a number of things for your immune system such as flush bacteria from the lungs, stimulate a rise in body temperature which helps you fight infection and also slow the releases of stress hormones which can promote disease. On top of that, exercising causes your white blood cells to circulate through your body more quickly, thus targeting disease-causing bacteria faster.

Eat A Proper Diet

Eating the right food is an important part of maintaining adequate immune function. Eating junk food has been linked to poor gut health which can significantly increase your chances of developing a weakened immune system. As junk food promotes immune system decline, healthy foods can promote a strengthening of the immune system. Here are some specific nutrients that can strengthen your immunity and also the foods you can find them in:

• Vitamin C

Vitamin C can restore your compromised immune system to good health and is found in citrus fruits like kiwi, strawberry, and pineapple.

• Vitamin D

Those with low levels of vitamin D in their blood are more susceptible to a compromised immune system. Most of your vitamin D comes from the sun.

• Vitamin E

A key component of immune system support is vitamin E. It is found in broccoli and leafy vegetables.

• Beta-carotene/Vitamin A

A lack of vitamin A in your diet could compromise your immunity. It is found in carrots, cantaloupe, and spinach.

Laugh More Often

If you want to have the best immune support that you possibly can, laugh more. Laughing is antidotal to stress, which therefore prevents the release of illness-causing stress hormones. It also increases the number of infection-fighting antibodies in your blood.

Immune Supplements

If you ever feel like your immune system needs a boost, you can consider using immune supplements. Typically, such supplements consist of a large dose or a combination of various disease-fighting nutrients like we discussed before.

Contact Sac ND to place your order for quality and doctor recommended supplements at (916) 446-2591.