Boost Your Immune System With Sleep

What are you doing to support your immune system during COVID-19 and Influenza season this winter?

As the winter cold and flu season approaches, ways to boost your immune system are amongst the most common questions people are talking about now. Taking preventative steps to strengthen your immune health will always be beneficial for your physical and mental health, now and in the future. If you’re older or have an underlying health condition, taking preventative measures is a great idea. Your overall immune system health may benefit from the following 6 practical actions, which you can easily do right now:

1. Be active by participating in moderate exercise that you enjoy
2. Eat a nutritious diet
3. Prioritise restful sleep
4. Manage your stress
5. Take supplements for a boost

6. Minimise alcohol and drink in moderation

Get enough sleep – it’s the perfect gift that keeps giving!

Getting enough rest and plenty of sleep helps:

• Reboot your mind & body and your immune system. Not getting enough sleep causes your body to increase its production of stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline. This elevation in stress hormones doesn’t just keep you awake—it also puts stress on the immune system.
• Top up the immune system’s fuel tank. The natural hormone called melatonin that is released at night, not only encourages sleep, it also supports the immune system.

Studies have found that:

• Getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night can make you 4 times less likely to catch a cold compared with less than 6 hours per night.
• People who slept less than seven hours per night over a two-week period were nearly three times more likely to get sick after exposure to a cold virus than people who slept more than eight hours.

How much sleep you need varies according to your age. The Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep for young adults and adults (18-64 years), and 7 to 8 hours of sleep for older adults (≥ 65 years).