In this day and age where COVID-19 is rampant among communities and individuals, even with a vaccine or not, the immune system is the one who will first try to eliminate the virus if ever you made contact with someone who has it.
Even when coronavirus is not yet emerging. The immune system already exists, protecting your body from the shadow and preventing you from a severe disease. Unconsciously, we have habits that damage the immune system.
According to Better Health, the immune system comprises particular organs, cells, and chemicals that fight infection. Its main parts are the white blood cells, antibodies, complement system, and lymphatic system.
But just like us, they are affected too by the foods we eat. Here are the habits you unconsciously commit that harm your immune system.
Read also: What COVID-19 Patients Should Eat and Avoid for Fast Recovery
Not enough sleep
The first pluck of tea in October on the west banks of Tregothnan on October 14, 2020 at Truro, England.
Using your phone, you might be spending so much time watching videos on your phone without looking at the time, which affects the immune system. Mayo Clinic references a study demonstrating that people who do not get enough sleep or enough sleep are more likely to be sick after contracting a virus, like the common cold virus.
Meanwhile, experts from Harvard shares with Eat This Not that lack of sleep hinders the body's ability to fight off infection. This means that if you don't get enough sleep, you have a higher risk of contracting the virus.
Medical News Today recommends drinking chamomile tea or warm milk if you have difficulty sleeping, eating nuts like almonds. They add that chamomile tea is a traditional treatment for insomnia, and a warm beverage may help prepare your mind for bed.
Stress and Immune System
Farmworkers pick broccoli in a field on January 22, 2021 in Calexico, California. President Joe Biden has unveiled an immigration reform proposal offering an eight-year path to citizenship for some 11 million immigrants in the U.S.
According to Eat This Not That, the hormone that stresses trigger cortisol release, which affects and suppresses the inflammation necessary to release and activate immune cells that will fight them. Simply Psychology adds that stress makes an individual susceptible to infections.
Although stress won't be completely eradicated from your system because of the environmental factors, Health recommends taking green leafy vegetables as they mention a study demonstrating that people who consumed the most folate have a lower risk of depression.
Too Many Processed Foods
A photo illustration of processed meat on February 16, 2018 in London, England. A recent study by a team at the Sorbonne in Paris has suggested that 'Ultra Processed' foods including things like mass-produced bread, ready meals, instant noodles, fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps are tied to the rise in cancer.
According to That Clean Life, processed foods trigger the harmful bacteria and yeast to grow, compromising the immune system. They add that when the immune system issues an inflammation response to protect the cells and tissue, causing it to overreact and make the inflammation grow or become rampant in the body.
Alcohol and Immune System
In a Cleveland Clinic report, drinking every day or almost every day, an individual might have colds and flu, and this is because the immune system is weakened by the alcohol making the body more susceptible to infection.
Healthline references the World Health Organization (WHO), saying that alcohol consumption is associated with various communicable and non-communicable diseases, alongside mental health issues; they add that these factors can make someone vulnerable to the virus since the alcohol compromises the immune system.
Smoking
Eat This Not The references the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that smoking makes the immune system faulty when it comes to fighting off diseases and increase the risk of having an autoimmune disease which you may develop.
Truth Initiative references a study suggesting that incorporating more fruits and vegetables in a smoker's diet will help reduce his or her craving to smoke. They add that Ginseng tea may also help as it may be therapeutic for nicotine addiction.
In the present times, where everyone's safety is still in peril due to the coronavirus, avoiding these habits that hurt your immune system may help prevent you from contracting the virus.
Related article: Healthy Foods To Keep The Immune System On Tip-top Shape This Winter
WATCH: 10 Hbaits that Damage your Immunity from MEDSimplified
