Sleep = Immunity
Okay, so maybe not FULL immunity, but it sure does help!
Tis’ the season for the flu, stomach bugs, head colds, and now this year we are adding COVID into the mix. Unfortunately, there are a lot of opportunities to get sick, but there is good news! (I know, strange thing to say during 2020.) There is A LOT you can do to help prevent getting sick or if you do get sick, have a quicker recovery rate! It’s time to BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!
Today we are talking about the one thing we all really want to do, but sometimes struggle to do… SLEEP!
Sleep plays a HUGE role in strengthening your immune system, so it is important to focus on it just as much you do working out and nutrition. How does sleep help you might ask?
While you sleep, your body is as active as ever. It’s working on repairing and restoring from the stress of the day. Your immune system is part of that. When you have an infection, stress, or inflammation your immune system releases proteins called cytokines. These proteins activate your white blood cells to tell them to fight whatever foreing goop you have in your system. During sleep your immune system revs up and there is an increased release of these proteins. If you are not sleeping then you are missing this extra production of proteins!
I understand it is not always easy to just, “go to sleep”. Here are some tips that may help:
Now that you know the importance of sleep and some tips to help sleep…. Goodnight!
