When your immune system is not working optimally, you become more susceptible to infection. It’s important to know how to spot the signs of a weakened immune system so you can take the necessary steps to strengthen it again through lifestyle changes and immune health-boosting supplements.
How Do You Know Your Immune System Is Weak?
There are a few ways to know if you’re dealing with a weakened immune system: frequent infections and illnesses, persistent fatigue or tiredness, digestive issues and poor appetite, and delayed wound healing.
Frequent Infections and Illnesses
If you find that you’re getting sick more often than others, and those infections tend to last longer than they should, your immune system may be weakened or compromised. It’s also important to take the type of illness into consideration—kids in public school getting frequent colds is more common than grown adults getting frequent severe bacterial infections like pneumonia.
Persistent Fatigue or Tiredness
Being tired is part of life. Being fatigued is part of sickness. But dealing with persistent fatigue or tiredness is not normal—particularly if you’re getting enough sleep and still feeling exhausted. If your immune system is weakened, you may be experiencing more fatigue because your body is doing its best to conserve energy so it can fight off infection when it does come. However, it’s important to strengthen your immune system so it can function properly in the day-to-day and during illness.
Digestive Issues and Poor Appetite
Research tells us that approximately 70% of your immune system is in your gut (aka your digestive tract). So if you struggle with gut health issues—even things as simple as frequent diarrhea, gas, or constipation—your immune system may need some strength. It’s important to support your gut health, as it drives a great deal of your overall health, including that of your immune system. The good bacteria living in your gut play a vital role in regulating your immune system, so when that bacteria and your microbiome are disrupted, so is your immune health.
Delayed Wound Healing
When you get hurt and it takes a long time for a wound to heal—be it a paper cut or something more severe like a burn—your immune system is likely not operating properly. When you face an injury of any kind, your body uses immune cells to send nutrient-rich blood to the injury site. If your immune system is weak, it is unable to regenerate the skin properly.
What Are the 3 Causes of a Weakened Immune System?
Three of the primary causes of a weak immune system are:
-
Chronic stress and lack of sleep - being chronically stressed causes your body to suppress your immune system, leads to a dysregulated inflammatory response, and shifts the function production of your immune cells.
-
Poor nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle - poor nutrition leads to a lack of essential nutrients in your body, which can cause you to be deficient in key vitamins. This hinders your body from being able to fight infection.
-
Chronic diseases and medical conditions - having a chronic disease or medical condition can suppress your immune system due to inflammation, altered immune cell function, autoimmune responses, and the medication itself.
Can You Fix a Weak Immune System?
Yes, you absolutely can fix a weak immune system! The best ways to fix and strengthen your immune system are:
-
A healthy, balanced, nutrient-rich diet. This means incorporating vitamin-rich foods like citrus fruit, protein-rich foods like high-quality meat, beans, and nuts, spices like ginger, turmeric, and garlic, and healthy fats like avocados, olives, and olive oil.
-
Supplements. Taking an immune health supplement like Immune Health PLUS® is a great way to support your immune system as you both build it back up and keep it running in an optimal state! Immune Health PLUS® has a proprietary blend of beta-glucans—tiny fibers that regulate cholesterol, fight inflammation, help prime immune cells for optimal immune response, naturally bolster your body’s immune response and defense system, activate your immune cells, fight infection, and more!
-
Sleep! Studies show that adults who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to infection and illness.
-
Stay physically active! Moving your body—even in simple ways like walking or yoga—boosts your immune system and stimulates your white blood cells, helping them move and operate properly. Physical activity also helps manage stress, keeping it in a healthy state.
-
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Staying hydrated helps your body flush out toxins and helps blood cells move throughout your body optimally.
How Can You Check Your Immune System?
There are a variety of ways to check the health of your immune system and your overall immune function. It’s important to ensure you’re getting regular checkups and blood tests with your healthcare provider. Especially if you have any concerns about your immune system, that should be your first stop! If you think your body is not responding optimally to illness or infection, monitor your body’s response to illnesses. Next time you get sick, take stock of the signs your immune system is fighting a virus—monitor how you feel, the symptoms you experience, how your body responds to treatment, etc. You can get blood tests, antibody tests, cell function, tests, and others to firmly gauge your overall immune function. It’s important to confer with your healthcare professional about your concerns before you make any decisions!
Conclusion
If your immune system is weak, your body will not be able to optimally fight illness or infection. Through lifestyle adjustments, diet changes, and supplements, your weak immune system will be back to strong in no time! Immune Health PLUS® is a high-quality immune health supplement that’s designed to keep you at your healthiest in all seasons! It’s made up of a unique and proprietary formula of beta-glucans that are formulated to complement your immunity and naturally bolster your body’s immune response. It also contains an organic mushroom blend of maitake, shiitake, and reishi mushrooms, all of which help prime your immune cells to function well. Immune Health PLUS® is topped off with other high-quality, supportive ingredients like elderberry, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C, and calcium. Get yourself a bottle of Immune Health PLUS® today!