Improve Your Immunity Through Sleep and Nutrition
One of the most valuable things we can possess is our health. The cornerstones of maintaining good health are health promotion and disease prevention. So, how do we encourage health promotion and disease prevention in our routines? Well, we must focus on improving our immunity through sleep and nutrition. Without enough sleep on a consistent basis, our chances of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, poor mental health, or even early death increase. Consequently, poor nutrition can add to stress and tiredness while diminishing work capacity, further contributing to the risk of developing unwanted health problems.
Some foods and drinks affect our sleep in ways that make it more difficult for us to fall and stay asleep. By the same token, not getting enough sleep can affect our appetite, leaving us experiencing more hunger, feeling less full and likely craving more foods and drinks that can wreck our sleep. To better maintain our long-term health and well-being, it is in our best interests to shut down this negative feedback loop and take steps to be more proactive in managing our sleep and nutrition. Following are some quick tips to help you get started.
Get enough sleep. Each night when we count the appropriate number of sheep and clock in at least seven hours of sleep, we are providing essential support to our immune system. When we wake, we are better equipped to deal with various infections and inflammatory conditions trying to take us down.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol several hours before bed. Caffeine and alcohol are two of the heavyweight champions of sleep disruption — that oat milk cappuccino you had in the afternoon can still keep you up at bedtime. Alcohol, although it might make you sleepy at first, disrupts sleep later in the night.
Keep away from spicy, sugary and fatty foods late at night. These foods have the potential to negatively affect your sleep pattern if you’re having too much of them late in the day.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, odds are you’re not feeling all that great. That’s because good sleep is just as important as diet and exercise. Just like the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone, and the hip bone is connected to the backbone, optimal health and well-being are connected to sleep which is connected to nutrition which is fueled and enhanced by exercise. Our bodies are biological machines comprised of systems that all work together. A healthy lifestyle promotes a robust immune system. By taking care of yourself, including paying attention to the relationship between sleep and nutrition, your immune system will ultimately take care of you.
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