Many people load up on the immune-boosters when they feel a cold coming on or are around sick people. But for the immune system to function optimally, you have to support it year-round—not just during the cold season.
We only have one immune system, and it’s our only defense against pathogens and for keeping your body healthy. Like a car that doesn’t get regular maintenance, if you’re not supporting your immune system regularly and keeping on top of maintenance, it’s going to start breaking down.
If you’re starting to feel a bit run down and are worried that your immune system is getting there too, this article is for you.
We’re covering what you need to know about the immune system, what signs to watch for with weakened immunity, and the best tips for supporting a healthy immune system.
Immune System 101
The importance of the immune system is pretty straightforward—it’s your body’s defense system that protects it from harmful substances, germs, and cell changes that can cause illness or infection.
But when we think about the immune system, it’s not very often that we think about all the organs actually involved in it.
The immune system isn’t just one thing—it’s a combination of several components, including white blood cells, antibodies, the complement system, the lymphatic system, the spleen, the thymus, the tonsils, mucous membranes, and bone marrow 1, 2. All these organs play an important role in the two subsystems of the immune system:
- Innate (non-specific) immune system
- Adaptive (specific) immune system
Both of these subsystems are closely linked and work synergistically when an immune response is triggered.
The innate (immediate) immune system is the first one activated in response to harmful substances; this is called your ‘non-specific immune system’ because it responds to any type of invader 1.
It fights using several types of immune cells, two of which include natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes. The primary role of the innate immune system is to fight harmful substances upon entering the body through the skin or digestive system.
On the other end, we have the adaptive (specific) immune system, which produces antibodies. This system uses a form of ‘memory’ to produce antibodies upon exposure to a pathogen that it has previously come into contact with 1.
This is also referred to as the “acquired” (learned) or specific immune response. Because the adaptive immune system is constantly learning and adapting to changes within the body, it also supports the body in fighting pathogens that mutate over time to prevent infection.
What Contributes To Weakened Immunity?
Just like every other system in your body, the immune system requires support to run properly, and if you’re not giving it what it needs, it can’t function at its best. Some of the most common reasons we have a weakened immune system are from:
- Poor nutrition
- Mismanaged stress
- Lack of sleep
- Antibiotic use
- Lack of exercise
- Alcohol or substance use
- Obesity
- Pre-existing health conditions
Signs Of A Weakened Immune System
Unlike the muscular system, for example, where an injury causes pain and discomfort, signs of a weakened immune system are a little less obvious.
Because the symptoms aren’t screaming at you, you have to notice subtleties that alter the way your body functions. If you suspect that your immune system is compromised, look out for these symptoms 3:
- Frequent colds
- Poor wound healing
- Inflammation
- Digestive issues (gas, bloating, nausea, etc.)
- High stress levels
- Fatigue
- Feeling rundown
- Skin issues
The good news here is that if you’re struggling with any of the symptoms, there is a fix! Diet and lifestyle changes can make a massive difference for your immune system.
5 Tips For Boosting Immunity
1. Get enough sleep
Most people underestimate the power of good quality sleep for maintaining health. We’re aware of the consequences where cognitive function is concerned, but for the immune system, sleep deprivation (duration or quality) can spell big trouble.
There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep and the immune system, meaning that activation of the immune system can alter sleep, and sleep in turn affects both the innate and adaptive arms of the defense system 4.
If no immune challenge is present, studies find that sleep promotes inflammatory homeostasis via its effects on inflammatory mediators like cytokines.
Research supports the fact that prolonged sleep deficiency (short duration, sleep disturbances, etc.) can lead to chronic, systemic low-grade inflammation, which has been linked to several inflammatory-based conditions, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and neurodegeneration 4.
But getting enough sleep isn’t just about going to bed early. It’s about practicing good sleep hygiene every day:
- Limit melatonin-disrupting blue lights 2 hours before bed
- Wear loose clothing
- Turn down the room temperature to facilitate the body’s natural drop in temperature
- Eliminate all external sources of light
- Swap your bright lights for red-hues
- Avoid caffeine after 2 pm
2. Practice stress reduction
As with sleep, the CNS and the immune system have a highly bidirectional relationship mediated by the endocrine system 3. Chronic stress can wreak havoc on just about every system in your body, but your immune system takes one of the biggest hits.
That’s because chronic mismanaged stress impairs the immune system’s ability to fight off pathogens by reducing immune cell count and leaving you more susceptible to illness and infection.
Two key aspects of these interactions are the production of stress hormones by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis, but also interactions between immune cells via cytokine production.
Hormones play a major regulatory role in the immune system by binding to their receptors, which are expressed on most types of immune cell. Cytokine modulation has been shown to feedback to the brain, which, in turn, alters the HPA axis and can elicit “sick behaviors” like fever, loss of appetite, changes in sleep patterns, and mood changes 3.
What’s more, stress appears to suppress the production of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory compounds essential to keeping your body protected and healthy.
3. Eat well
Your body requires a wide array of nutrients that help support the production of immune cells and compounds that keep your body healthy and reinforce defenses.
If you’re eating a diet high in processed and refined foods, and lacking nutrient-dense whole foods, chances are your body doesn’t have the building blocks it needs to run efficiently.
Some of the key nutrients required for immune function are 5-7:
- Vitamin C - Potent antioxidant and supports various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune system
- Vitamin D - Directly affects gene expression; involved in the production of antimicrobial proteins and influences cytokine production by immune cells
- Zinc - Serves as a cofactor with both catalytic and structural roles in several proteins; deficiency impairs both adaptive and innate immune responses
- Selenium - Critical functional, structural, and enzymatic roles in many types of proteins
- Iron - Required for immune cell proliferation and maturation, especially of lymphocytes, which are associated with the generation of a specific response to infection
- Amino acids (protein) - Precursors for immune cell production
Ensuring you’re consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats (nuts and seeds, oils, grass-fed meats, seafood), plant- or animal-based proteins, and complex carbohydrates provides the required nutrients to support proper immune function.
4. Move often
In some capacity, daily exercise supports nearly every system in the body. But for the immune system, it plays an important role in keeping in healthy and supports appropriate immune responses.
The acute immune response to physical activity highly depends on both the intensity and duration of effort, but here’s what we know about the impact of exercise on immune function 8:
- Enhanced immunosurveillance with acute exercise bouts of less than 60 min
- Transient immune dysfunction after heavy exertion that is countered by proper post-workout nutrition (especially carbohydrates and polyphenols)
- Reduced systemic inflammation
- Reduced risk of chronic disease
- Mitigates the effects of aging on immune function
Whether that’s power walking, running, HIIT, strength training, or a combination of, 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 3-5 times per week can help to support immune function.
Not to mention, keeping a healthy weight also supports proper immunity, so get out there and get active.
5. Fill in the gaps
Nutrient deficiencies are one of the most common reasons for a weakened immune system. Because it relies on vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other compounds coming in through diet or supplementation to function optimally, deficiencies can cause some major issues.
And when it comes to filling in the diet gaps with supplements, there are two products we stand by: Performance Lab PL-Immune and Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi.
PL-Immune is a comprehensive 6-ingredient formula designed to support your immune system through even its toughest challenges.
A blend of the most powerful immune-boosters—vitamin D, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, probiotics, and glutathione—cover the immune system in every corner to:
- Fortify first-line immune defenses and long-range immune responses
- Increase the number and activity of immune cells
- Restore antioxidants for immune system defense
- Maintain work productivity and performance via overall immune wellness
- Fight immune challenges and fatigue associated with exercise and high stress
Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi is a nutritional technology breakthrough. It’s one of the smartest multivitamins available loaded with 17+ essential vitamins and minerals designed to support long-term health and hormonal balance.
NutriGenesis Multi is complexed with natural cofactors, including probiotics, fiber, enzymes, and antioxidants that enhance nutrient bioavailability and health-supportive activity.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re stressed, haven’t been sleeping enough, or have been going a bit crazy with the sweets, the immune system is one of the first systems to catch the fire.
But if you’ve been experiencing any of the symptoms of weakened immunity that we’ve talked about, know that there’s always a backup plan.
Practice these tips daily—whether you’re feeling ill or not—to keep your immune system functioning in high gear at all times. It’s the only mode of defense your body has, so make sure you’re supporting it religiously.
References
- InformedHealth.org . Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. How does the immune system work? . Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279364/
- InformedHealth.org . Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. What are the organs of the immune system? . Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279395/
- R Glaser, J Kiecolt-Glaser. How stress damages immune system and health.Discov Med. 2005;5(26):165-169.
- L Besedovsky, T Lange, M The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(3):1325-1380.
- CE Childs, PC Calder, EA Diet and Immune Function.Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1933.
- A Soyano, M Gó Participación del hierro en la inmunidad y su relación con las infecciones . Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1999;49(3 Suppl 2):40S-46S.
- AC Carr, S Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211.
- DC Nieman, LM The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system.J Sport Health Sci. 2019;8(3):201-217.
