Keeping your Family's Immunity Strong

Keeping you and your family’s immunity strong and protected is one of the best ways to stay healthy over winter.

Our immune systems are what fight off any nasty bugs, viruses’ colds etc which are much more prevalent in the winter months. Keeping your immune system healthy and strong means you have better protection against these bugs and other infections.

Below are ten key tips to follow for keeping your immune system strong and to help keep you and your family protected.

1. Wash your hands regularly: ensuring you and your family wash their hands throughout the day will reduce the spread of any germs and is an easy way to stay healthy. Remember to wash for 20 seconds and dry thoroughly.
2. Including lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet: A diet rich in fruit and vegetables strengthens the immune system and helps to keep you protected from germs. Eating frozen vegetables is just as beneficial as fresh so don’t be reluctant to use both to keep within your shopping budget.
3. Quitting smoking: smoking will negatively affect your immune system and make it harder to fight off any infections. The chemicals in cigarettes cause your immune system to work less effectively so ditching them all together is your best plan.
4. Staying away from or social distancing from sick people: Keeping socially distanced from anyone who is showing signs of sickness will reduce the likely hood of you contracting any bugs or viruses.
5. Keeping fit: Regular exercise strengthens and keeps your immune system strong. Exercising 3 times or more a week will help keep your immune system performing at its best.
6. Getting enough sleep: Sleep provides essential support to your immune system so ensuring you are getting enough sleep each night is crucial. Getting sufficient hours of sleep enables a well-balanced immune system ready to fight off any attacks.
7. Low-stress levels: When you are overly stressed the immune system’s ability to fight off sickness or infection is reduced. That’s why maintaining healthy sleep habits is a vital part in keeping your immune system as strong as it can be.

Following these easy steps will increase your and your family’s immunity meaning you will have a better chance of fighting off those nasty bugs and fighting any illness more effectively if you do happen to get sick.

Getting the flu vaccine to increase your immune system is an effective way to further protect you against common colds and the flu. Immunisation helps to prevent infections and bugs by triggering your body to respond to attacks more rapidly on your immune system by organisms.

The aim of the flu vaccine is to prime the body for a response to infections by aiding the immune system to rapidly and effectively respond which also not only prevents you from becoming sick but also stops the spread of transmission.

Many people who eat healthily, rest, manage stress levels etc still catch the flu, so don’t feel disheartened if you fall ill this winter. We encourage implementation of the above advice as even if you do fall ill, you will less likely feel so bad and your illness may not last as long.