12 Harmless Habits That Mow Down Your Immune System

How often do you get sick? If it happens more than 2-3 times a year, your immune system is in danger. It means that your body has been weakened by various factors. Let’s try to handle the situation and understand what’s wrong. I’ve already experienced such a problem and did my best to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. A few years ago, I believed that it was better to be safe than sorry and tried to reduce the chances of getting ill. I did all the possible things to avoid overcooling and become healthier. Unfortunately, it only intensified the problem and lowered my body’s resistance to cold weather. A bit later, I understood that my good intentions and habits paved the way for a miserable life.

Good immune system is the key to your overall well-being and success. The body is a smart mechanism that can control and organize the effective functioning of its systems. It can defend itself against different viruses. A poor immune response is the result of a wrong lifestyle.

Today people tend to take serious preventive measures and protect themselves from diseases. It’s been proved that constant preventive measures make your immune system unable to defend the body against harmless bacteria. The human body can successfully reach thermal comfort in both hot and cold weather conditions.

There’s no need to wrap up well all the time because your body will lose its grip on its ability to cope with cold weather. I think that health problems are of current importance in the modern world. At first glance, these habits seem to be harmless, but you should make every effort to break this vicious circle.

1 Pessimistic mindset

It’s hard to believe, but the productivity of the immune system depends on your mindset. Psychologists state that the body’s mental health and physical health are closely interconnected. People who see the world in dark colors usually fall ill more frequently than optimists. Negative thoughts and lack of faith in their own abilities make them less resistant to stress and various diseases.

More: 11 Superfoods to Try for Optimal Health

Three years ago, I was a terrible pessimist. My head was overloaded with obsessive thoughts about my problems and symptoms. My hypochondriac’s state of mind significantly suppressed the effectiveness of my immunity system. Unfortunately, it made me get sick again and again. One day I decided to start thinking optimistically because I was sick and tired of hospitals.

If you’re facing the same problem, you should stop worrying about your health. Frankly speaking, you have nothing to lose. Do your best to become an optimist. It will increase the quality of your life and improve your physical and mental well-being.

2 Taking too much medicines

Taking medicines has its advantages and disadvantages. I’ve already taken dozens of medicines in order to bounce back from different diseases. I can state with assurance that one in three medications has scary side effects. Some medicines can stimulate your immune system to fight bacteria successfully. But you should know that long-term drug therapies and antibiotic overuse can make your immune system totally exhausted.

If you fall ill, you should follow the doctor’s directions carefully. Don’t take too many medicines, especially antibiotics randomly because such treatment can do more harm than good. Antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria. It makes your immune system unable to activate itself quickly the next time you get sick.

3 Drinking warm water on a regular basis

Nowadays, many people who have chronic sore throats and digestive disorders often refuse to drink cool water. Unfortunately, some doctors advise their patients to protect themselves from cold weather and drink only warm water. I agree that drinking warm water is good for your throat or digestive system, but it can seriously damage the immune system and complicate your life. A few months of warm water consumption will make your body extremely sensitive to cold temperatures.

The immunity will lose its ability to deal with hypothermia. As a result, you can catch colds quite often. Every time you refuse to drink cool water, you should keep in mind that warmth makes your body weak and intolerant to cold water and weather. You’d better try to condition yourself for the cold.

4 Non-observance of personal hygiene

Even small children know that it’s desirable to wash their hands with soap as often as possible. Unfortunately, adults often defy this important rule. It’s high time to realize that this harmless habit can exert a negative influence on your physical health. It would help if you always remembered that hand washing is the best way to prevent different diseases. If you’re lazybones, then set reminders on your phone and try to develop a habit of handwashing at least five times a day.

5 Sleeping in a warm nest

Not long ago, I visited a professional immunologist who gave me wise and valuable pieces of advice on how to boost my immune system. She advised me to fall asleep in a slightly cool room. At first, I found it difficult to follow her advice because I was used to sleeping in a warm, centrally heated bedroom. If you’re afraid of catching a cold, then try at least to air the bedroom before sleep.

Read also – 8 Essential Nutrients for a Better Night’s Sleep

6 Skipping exercise

When you skip your workout, you reduce your immune system’s efficiency and increase your risk of disease. It’s okay to avoid exercising once in a while, but don’t make it a habit. Regular physical activity has been shown to help strengthen the immune system. When you exercise, your heart gets stronger and pumps more blood throughout the body.

Exercising provides a boost to the cells that are assigned to attack bacteria, which is why when you skip your workout, those cells start working slower, wrecking your immune system’s efficiency. However, please don’t overdo it. Working out too much can harm your immunity too.

Read also – 10 Exercises That Will Transform Your Body

7 Oversleeping

We all know we need to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. While most people lack sleep, some get too much sleep. Oversleeping hurts health and leads to a great number of diseases, including hypersomnia. When you suffer from hypersomnia, nap many times throughout the day and don’t feel refreshed. Their immune systems are so weak that they can’t cope with the disease without consulting a doctor.

Read also – 7 Ways to Change Your Sleep Schedule

8 Using too much technology

We live in a social media-obsessed, tech-driven world and can’t imagine our day without using laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Technology makes our lives simpler, but unfortunately, it wreaks havoc on our health. First of all, technology weakens the immune system and makes us much more vulnerable to viruses. Try to spend more time outdoors and don’t use your gadgets before bedtime.

Read also – 10 Apps for Women’s Health

9 Overworking

When you work too hard on a daily basis without rest, your immune system gets tired and screams for a break. Overworking leads to stress, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Even if you love your job, don’t work more than 9 hours a day. Otherwise, you won’t avoid serious diseases, such as stroke, heart disease, and cancer, in the future. Now you may feel like you have plenty of energy to work hard, but your body won’t thank you in your 40s or so.

10 Excessive Alcohol Intake

People who drink excessive amounts of alcohol tend to be at increased risk for infectious diseases, take longer to recover from illnesses, and have more complications after surgery. Heavy alcohol intake can also affect organs that regulate immunity, such as the liver, which produces antibacterial proteins that ward off bacterial diseases.

If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to no more than 4 drinks per day if you’re a man and no more than 3 drinks per day if you’re a woman. The total number of drinks per week should not exceed 14 drinks for men and 7 drinks for women.

11 Poor Stress Management

Stress is a normal response to threatening situations, but chronic stress that doesn’t go away can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to illness and disease. Stress increases the body’s levels of cortisol—a stress hormone that impairs the functioning of cells that fight infection.

Chronic stress can also slow wound healing, contribute to obesity, and drive inflammation that can cause cancer. Take steps now to manage chronic stress and strengthen your immune system through meditation, deep breathing, or regular moderate-intensity exercise. We

12 Overtraining

Exercising regularly is great for your overall health and your immune system. However, exercising too much without enough recovery between workouts can lead to problems including sleep loss, depression, reduced athletic performance, and menstrual irregularities in women.

If your exercise routine is causing you to experience fatigue rather than increased energy, prolonged muscle soreness, or irritability, try decreasing the intensity of your workouts or taking an extra day off for recovery.

Read also – 15 Important Self-Care Tips for Workaholics

A strong immune system has always been one of the main priorities of wise and highly successful people. Get rid of harmless habits and enjoy life with a smile on your face. If you suddenly fall ill, you should pay a visit to your doctor, but never run into extremes. Do you know of any other immunosuppressive habits? What’s the best way to boost the immune system naturally? Share your experiences!