5 Easy Immunity Tips For Super Busy Moms | Hea Boosters

Moms are constantly shuffling between several tasks, often wearing multiple hats and also take care of themselves, their responsibilities, and their families, all at the same time.

This itself is difficult and the current environment makes this infinitely harder. It is now more essential to take our immunity and overall health and that of our loved ones more seriously than ever before. 

Here are some easy ways to boost immunity:

1. Take your immunity boosters:
   Vitamin C, D and zinc are critical to boosting your immune system, defending your cells from harmful free radicals, and for the development of all the cells in your body. Vitamin C plays a vital role in many of our body’s metabolic processes. It helps absorb iron and is an essential micronutrient for a strong, responsive immune system.
   Vitamin D is an important nutrient that the body requires for many processes, and it also plays a critical role in the immune system, digestion, and heart function.
   Zinc is needed to activate T-cells in the human body which attack infected cells and control and regulate the immune response. Taking supplements that contain these vitamins will ensure that your immune system stays strong and vigilant.
2. Consuming a healthy diet:
   Eating a balanced diet will help include as many vitamins and minerals as possible to fight off the infections. Don’t forget to include foods rich in antioxidants to help fight oxidative stress. All the berries, beans, and spinach have good antioxidants and should be included in our diet. 
3. Lowering stress:
   Right now, this suggestion may seem unrealistic, but studies have revealed that there is a connection between stress and the immune system. The more stressed we are, the more corticosteroids our body produces.
   Corticosteroids can suppress the immune system’s effectiveness. Take some time to destress and do whatever helps you relax—for me, it’s walking outside or spending time with my plants. 
4. Hugging your child often:
   Skin to skin contact or cuddling with your child releases oxytocin and prolactin. Oxytocin helps in decreasing sensitivity to pain, promotes healing, reduces stress and lowers blood pressure. Prolactin helps us moms relax and focus on our children. 
5. Getting adequate sleep:
   Adults need an average of 6-7 hours of sleep on average for their bodies to function smoothly.  With our large lists of chores, it often happens that we do not catch enough sleep. What we do not realise is that a prolonged lack of sleep can also impact our mental health, increase anxiety and stress (for us and our babies), reduce our immunity and impair our health in general. 

Building immunity isn’t a day’s work. Our body shows signs and symptoms depending on which nutrients or vitamins we are low on. Practising good health habits like washing hands frequently, including more fruits and vegetables in our diet, staying hydrated, working out regularly helps build a robust immune system that will be able to fight out any infection. 

Always remember, only strong moms make strong families. 

Studies:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361287/ - Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5551541/ - Oxidative Stress: Harms and Benefits for Human Health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1307172/ - Sleep Patterns and Fatigue in New Mothers and Fathers

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3783921/ - Vitamin C in Disease Prevention and Cure: An Overview

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/ - Vitamin D: The “sunshine” vitamin

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/ - Importance of Zinc