5 Easy Daily Habits to Prevent Getting Sick – How to stay healthy
No one likes getting sick.
Its not the best time by far.
Whether it’s from a cold, flu, or something more severe, we don’t want to experience sickness, the aches, the fever, the headaches, and sniffles.
Luckily, there are easy things you can do daily to prevent getting sick, or get healthy quicker if you do get sick.
As someone who just got over a cold, I can definitely vouch for the third tip!
Keep reading to find out how you can avoid getting sick, and or how you can get better faster after catching a flu or cold!
How to prevent getting sick
Learn how to stay healthy or get over being sick quickly today with these simple tips.
1. Sleep
Yup, that’s the number one tip. Sleep well.
If nothing else, try to get at least 8 hrs of deep rest every night.
Sleep allows the body to reset, recover, and fight off diseases daily. Without sleep, you even lose your ability to think clearly and make rational cognitive decisions.
Sleep is linked to a light-dependent internal biological clock, our circadian rhythm, which is why it’s important to reduce light exposure and electronic use before sleep.
Sleep is incredibly important in immune function.
Studies show that people who do not get enough sleep are more likely to get sick after exposure to a virus, and more likely to stay sick for longer.
During sleep, certain components of the immune system rev up, and research even suggests that sleep can strengthen immune system memory. Meaning next time, your body will kick disease butt faster and more effectively.
2. Add Garlic and Ginger to Your Diet
These are two delicious and easy nutrients that can boost your immune system to health you fight off disease and infection easily.
Garlic contains allicin and an incredibly strong antibiotic that is released the cloves us crushed or chewed.
This helps boost the immune system greatly, increasing the response of white blood cells, the disease-fighting cells.
Garlic also contains antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
Ginger can also enhance immune system response, with its antiviral and antibacterial properties, helping to fight infections and illness.
It contains gingerol and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances.
3. Gargle Saltwater
Saltwater creates an osmosis affect that draws fluids from your mouth and throat to reduce painful infection.
Research has found that gargling salt water reduces the occurrence of upper respiratory infections in healthy individuals.
It can also help break up mucus, and remove bacteria, allergens, and fungi infections from the throat.
In individuals who are sick, gargling salt water helped to reduce inflammation and severity of symptoms.
Simply add a half teaspoon of sea salt to a cup of warm water and Gargle the solution. Do not swallow!
Note: Saltwater Gargle are not recommended for individuals that suffer from chronic high blood pressure.
4. Reduce Stress
Chronic stress can literally make you sick, basically meaning we can overthink ourselves ill.
It does not pay to worry.
Stress causes a full body reaction, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol, a chemical that causes inflammation in the body.
Furthermore, too much stress can reduce and even repress the immune system, lowering your ability to fight off infection, disease, and viruses.
Stress itself can lead to poor quality of sleep, insomnia, or even gastrointestinal problems, adding to the reduction in immune system health and further lowering your health.
5. Eat Fermented Foods
This one is more along the preventative lines.
Fermented food is incredibly important in increasing microbiota health. Our gut bacteria is essential to many aspects of our life.
For example, 90 percent of serotonin, the good mood chemical, is created in the gut?
OK so mood is regulated by microbiota, to the point where science is calling gut bacteria our second brain, but did you know your gut plays an important role in immune system response?
An unhealthy gut microbiome can lead to autoimmune disease, a body that attacks its own healthy tissue.
On the other hand, a healthy gut microbiome can increase immune system response to bad bacteria and speed up recovery.
The Takeaway
Getting sick sucks.
No one likes getting sick, no one likes staying sick for a long time!
Thankfully, there are little tips and tricks you can do daily to prevent sickness or ensure you recover as fast as possible.
Make sure you are eating the right stuff, adding fresh garlic and Ginger to Your daily diet, and eating fermented foods every day!
Fermented foods will improve not only the immune system but your entire body and mental state!
If nothing else, try to get a good amount of rest every night, as this is one of the most important things you can do to reset and recover.
A saltwater gargle can be a great option to reduce infection, inflammation, and pain as well!
Remember, health starts from within, and taking small steps towards wellbeing daily can make your overall wellness skyrocket today.
