How to Support Your Immune System During Stressful Times

It has been a stressful year for everyone. With a global pandemic, renewed focus on social justice, and an election year, your immune system may be taking a hit. Now, more than ever, protecting your immune system is critical! 

Vena is all about whole body health, and supporting your immune system during stressful times is a sure-fire way to give your body some love. 

One of the best ways to avoid getting sick is to naturally boost your immune system. We review some of the top ways to stay healthy during stressful times by supporting immune health below. 

1. Nutrition Boost

   You’ve heard it before - eating right is the most important part of supporting whole body health, but what should you eat? 

   • Whole Plant Foods: Whole body health = whole plant foods! Focus on items like Veggies, fruits, nuts, and legumes. They have antioxidants and nutrients that may help your body fight stress and act as an anti-inflammatory. (Serafini and Peluso 2016)
   • Fermented Foods: Fermented foods are good for your gut! With probiotics and nutrients, foods like kimchi and sauerkraut help support the growth of health bacteria, supporting your immune cells (Wu 2012).
   • Healthy Fats: Healthy fats may also boost your immune system with anti-inflammatory properties. Fighting inflammation helps protect your body from pathogens and disease. We recommend salmon, and chia seeds, and olive oil linked to a decrease in chronic illness (Piroddi et al. 2017).
   • Low Sugars: Limiting the intake of refined sugars may support immune boost as well as lower your risk for diabetes and heart disease. Everything in moderation! (Dinicolantonia et al. 2015)
   • CBD: CBD, aka cannabidoil, is reported to support overall health as well as decrease stress. Adding CBD to your diet may provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory healing properties (Atalay et al. 2019). Learn more about how CBD interacts with your body here.
2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

   Sleep and immunity are naturally linked. Getting a good night’s sleep may strengthen your natural immunity and ability to fight off bacteria and viruses (Besedovsky et al 2019). Generally 7-9 hours a night are recommended for adults. If you have trouble sleeping some tips are: try sleeping in a cool, dark room, and try avoiding screen time from your phone or computer immediately prior to bed.

   One way to help with sleep is to take a natural sleep aid. We recommend Vena’s Restful Night, an expert combination of CBD, melatonin, and magnesium, to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and have a productive morning. 

3. Immune Defense Supplements

   A wide variety of companies provide supplements for immunity. Supplements with vitamin C may help increase immunity against colds and flu while boosting immune health (Gorkom et al. 2018). Some of the best supplement ingredients to focus on include: 

   • Vitamin C: Key for a well-functioning immune system, vitamin C supports immunity on a cellular level while working to strengthen human antibodies to fight against disease.
   • Ginger: Herbal medicine suggests ginger’s anti-oxidative properties help fight against the cold and flu.
   • Elderberry: The vitamins in Elderberry boost and protect your immune function, and are linked to a healthy heart.
   • CBD: Reported to reduce stress and act as an anti-inflammatory, CBD is a powerhouse in your immune defense arsenal. 
   • Ashwagandha: The ancient herb is touted to reduce cortisol levels and improve brain function. An added boost to your immunity routine.

   We recommend Defense Drops. They provide a dynamic daily immune system upgrade. The delicious supplement blend is packed with Vitamin C, Elderberry Extract, CBD Isolate, Ginger Oil, and Ashwagandha Root, among other potent ingredients.

   This superteam of ingredients was designed for cold and flu season, making it the perfect, battle-tested fortification your body craves all-year round to boost that immune system.

4. Move Your Body

   Finally, movement is critical to de-stressing and supporting your immune system. Find the moves that work for you. Yoga is reported to be a fantastic exercise of choice to boost immunity. 

   Run, hike, dance, walk. Whatever type of exercise you choose, you are expelling toxins from your body and supporting the health of your immune system. Exercise is also reported to reduce the risk of diseases like respiratory infections (Neiman et al. 2011).

All in all, we are living in stressful times! Take care of your body to boost your immune system. Every body is different, so be kind to yourself as you figure out what works for you. Try focusing on nutrition, sleep, Defense Supplements, and exercise for total body protection.