Surprising Things That Can Affect Your Immune System

Here are surprising things that can affect your immune system in both positive and negative ways.

Once again let's be reminded how important it is to have a healthy immune system in order to fight off disease. While our immune system can't always protect us from every virus, there are steps we can take to strengthen it. The basics—like getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy diet—are key, but there are some unexpected things that can also have a major impact.

From laughing every day to not exercising too much, here are surprising things that can affect your immune system in both positive and negative ways.

1

Laughing

The old adage that laughter is the best medicine has some truth to it.

Laughter "decreases cortisol, which then reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, increases oxygen intake, enhances the immune system, and reduces the risk of having heart disease or a stroke. We can  encourage people to laugh every day. Your immune system will thank you.

2

Optimism

Optimism can be hard at a time like this, but there are real health benefits to maintaining a positive perspective. It turns out that looking on the bright side doesn't just aid your mental health—it also impacts your physical well-being. More specifically, an optimistic outlook has been linked to a healthier immune system, according to a pivotal 1998 study published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

3

Cured meats or canned foods

Because these foods contain high levels of sodium, they can impact the immune system.  In a study examining the effects of excessive salt intake on immune function, they found that a high salt-diet had a potential to trigger an excessive immune response, 

You can use your body weight as your reference for correct amount of salt intake , daily.  For every one kilogram of your body weight, your water intake is 32.53 ml of water. AND  for every 1000 ml water intake per day, you can safely use 1/4 teaspoon of salt in your daily diet. Work out from here the required amount of salt intake from your current body weight in relation to the amount of water intake, per day. 

Furthermore,  that high salt intake has also been shown to alter immune function by suppressing regulatory T cells, which help with the body's anti-inflammatory response, when you are not drinking enough water for your own body's weight and needs. 

4

Too much exercise

It's no surprise that not getting enough exercise can weaken your immune system—but over-exercising can also be harmful, why? Too much exercise increases Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and depresses immune system function.

5

Loss and grief

Losing a loved one is a devastating experience and long-term grief can impact your immune system, according to a 2012 study published in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. Researchers found that "an unresolving grief response may be a risk factor for altered immune response," but this effect is not immediate. Participants characterized as having a "harm-avoidant temperament and long-lasting dysphoric mood" six months after the unexpected loss of a loved one had a more reduced immune system response than participants who exhibited lower grief levels.

6

Loneliness

Chances are you're feeling lonelier than usual during this time of social distancing. That's why it's important to maintain all the virtual connections that you can.

A 2015 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that "perceived social isolation" (loneliness) is linked to immune system changes. The study observed that when participants felt lonely, they had significantly higher levels of the hormone norepinephrine in their blood. When a person is in a life-threatening situation, norepinephrine courses through the blood and shuts down immune system functions, such as viral defenses. Meanwhile, the production of white blood cells called monocytes increases.

It's this surge in these pro-inflammatory white blood cells that are highly adapted to defend against wounds, but at the expense of our defenses against viral diseases that come from close social contact with other people.

7

Chronic stress

Our stress hormones evolutionarily were only meant to be activated in a time of serious threat, often referred to as a 'flight or fight' response. But chronic stress means lower levels of these hormones are constantly circulating in your blood.  This stimulates chronic inflammation of a host of organs, which in turn fatigues our immune system. Stress is cellular dehydration, dehydration is cells stress. 

8

Bottling up emotions

According to a 2018 study published by Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, negative moods can affect immune response functions and increase the risk of exacerbated inflammation. That same year, researchers at Penn State found that teenagers who suppressed negative emotions were more likely to "produce more pro-inflammatory cytokines, molecules that signal to other cells that there is a threat present and that the body's immune system needs to kick into gear." A high level of cytokines suggests that the immune system isn't functioning the way it should be.

9

Alcohol misuse

Drinking alcoholic products has a negative effect on the immune system, particularly when it's in excess.  Alcohol use , over time, may weaken the immune system by changing the balance of normal microorganisms that live in a healthy body, leading to increased inflammation. Organs inflammation is a clear ignorance of  underlying chronic cellular dehydration. 

Additionally, Shah says that alcohol use may impair specific cells in the immune system, including macrophages and monocytes, and "reduce the body's capacity to reduce the normal inflammatory response when it needs to be turned off."

10

Nicotine use

It's no secret that nicotine use can wreak havoc on your respiratory system—which is especially risky during the coronavirus pandemic—but significant research published in 2009 by Acta Pharmacologica Sinica found that it can also harm your immune system. According to the study, nicotine use affects both branches of the immune system and "produces an altered immune response that is characterized by a decrease in inflammation, a decreased antibody response, and a reduction in T cell-receptor-mediated signaling.

11

Age

Your age also has a bearing on your immune system.  Very young infants are more prone to infections because their antibodies haven't fully developed, and the elderly have decreased immunity because their antibodies have waned. These two groups need regular reminder to rehydrate their bodies with  enough water. 

12

Medications

WATER CURES: DRUGS KILL

Certain medications can negatively affect your immune system. Please take note that acid-blocking heartburn medications like Prilosec and Nexium decrease stomach acid and allow yeast and bacteria to overgrow, which in turn lowers immunity. Heartburn is due to insufficient of water availability for the proper closing of the stomach's inlet valve muscles, hence backflow of digestive juice into the esophagus nerves , and pain is registered near the heart, due to the proximity of the heart and the stomach. Though the label 'heartburn' is used, it is not the heart which is burn literally, but the pain signal from the esophagus cell lines near the heart. The remedy is to drink a glass of water, 30 minutes prior to your meal time. 

Corticosteroid medications also impact the immune system. Many people take some form of oral steroids to treat conditions like asthma, arthritis, and autoimmune disease. Steroids decrease inflammation by reducing the chemical activity of the body's immune system.  Glucocorticoids at high concentrations inhibit the production of B Cells and T Cells, the main components of the body's immune system.

13

Oral hygiene

There's a significant connection between oral health and your immune system.  Risk factors such as periodontal disease, decay, and oral infections elicit the white blood cells, which are the defense system to our immune system and are activated to help fight these oral diseases.  If these oral infections aren't treated, your immune system may become compromised and weaken over time. Your body needs water to produce saliva from the saliva glands. OPEN SIDE