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How to Boost Your Immune System in Winter

Winter can be a difficult time for our bodies and immune systems. As the flu season begins, it’s important to strengthen our immune systems, especially for older adults. Consider implementing a few of these steps into your daily routine. By following these tips, you can help boost your immune system in winter.

Wash Your hands  

It seems obvious, but washing your hands after being in public places can help you avoid winter illnesses like the flu. Sanitizing shopping cart handles, doorknobs, and telephones also helps to eliminate germs and decreases your chance of getting sick this winter. Hand sanitizer can be bought in travel-size containers, which fit perfectly in purses or jacket pockets. Some hand sanitizers come with hydrating oils that help keep your hands soft and avoid dryness.

Add More Herbs to Your Diet

Try eating more of these herbs to strengthen your immune system to avoid illness:

  • Mint: Add this to your favorite hot tea, or sprinkle some on frozen yogurt for a special treat. Mint helps aid digestion while soothing chest and stomach pains. Mint is also great for adults who experience asthma during the dry winter months.
  • Parsley: Full of antioxidants, parsley is also high in vitamins A and C, which gives your body the boost it needs. Great for bones and delicious to add to meals, parsley acts as an anti-inflammatory.
  • Rosemary: Known to relieve migraines, rosemary also helps improve memory function and soothes indigestions. Need a mood lift? Try adding rosemary to your next meal!

Take a Supplement

Your body needs a wide variety of nutrients to function properly and stay healthy, but it can be difficult to get all the nutrients you need from diet alone. This is where supplements come in. Multivitamins and probiotics are two types of supplements that can help increase your daily dose of important nutrients. Multivitamins are a great way to ensure that you’re getting the recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals, while probiotics provide live bacteria that help support your gut health. Both of these supplements have been shown to help fight off dangerous infections, making them an important part of a healthy diet. Before you add anything to your normal medication, get approval from your doctor or healthcare provider.

Get More Sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial for maintaining a strong immune system. If you’re not getting enough rest, your body won’t be able to properly fight off infection. Our bodies fight infections in numerous ways. Getting enough sleep, at least 8 hours, will help our bodies have enough energy to keep us healthy. Our bodies have to work hard when they fight off illnesses, so do them a favor and give it the energy it needs!

Hydrate

Drinking enough water each day is a must when it comes to staying healthy during the winter seasons. However, drinking water can be hard to do when it’s cold outside. Try drinking herbal teas, or adding flavor enhancers to your water bottle. Eating foods that are high in water content, like soup, help you stay hydrated too.

Our Carespring skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Northern Kentucky want our patients and their families to stay healthy all winter long. To learn more about our facilities, contact us today.