How do you support your immune system?

wooh, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2013

Oh, and my contribution: Sleep is the big thing for me. It's always when I skimp on sleep that I get sick.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2013

I work nights, so getting a full 7 to 8 hours of sleep per 24 hour period is troublesome for me. I have started to eat fresh oranges on a daily basis for the vitamin C content. I figure it's a cheap, healthy way to obtain nutrients that will boost my immune system.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 15, 2013

So far I've been able to fight off all the respiratory stuff this year---it was the norovirus that got me. :barf02: Hopefully that's all the sickness I'll have to deal with......I usually get bronchitis and maybe a cold or two each year and would much rather suffer through those than a GI illness, so Mother Nature owes me one!

What's weird is, even with all of the stress I went through during 2012 I only got sick once, and that was the bronchitis I came down with just before New Year's. Nothing else. I swear, I must've run through most of the cold viruses when I was younger, because I very rarely get them now and they tend to be gone within a few days. It's when the bronchitis hits me that things get dangerous, because usually I'll progress to either pneumonia or a REALLY bad asthma exacerbation if I don't get antibiotics and prednisone within a day or two of onset.

I'm not sure as to what I owe this relative resistance to infection, but I do take special care with my sleep hygiene, plus I get a yen for things like oranges and V-8 juice around this time of year.....guess that Vitamin C really does help after all. :)

TerpGal02, ASN · Feb 9, 2013

Well I'm probably not one to talk because I have the URI of HELL right now. I think sleep is a biggie and probably wore me down enough to where I caught this bug. Too much to do, too little time, etc. I also take a chewable Vit C supplement every day. And hubby made homemade chicken soup tonight so that can't hurt . My mother hasn't had a cold in YEARS and swears its because she gargles with Cepacol twice a day.

ixchel · Feb 9, 2013

Sleep is number 1. Number 2 is my magic smoothie. It is its own perfect super food.

In a blender combine:

1 banana

1 pomegranate

1 avocado

Spinach

Blackberries

Raspberries

Strawberries

Blueberries

Then in the space that's left, add a little bit of OJ (get good, fresh, unadulterated OJ), turn the blender on a low setting. Fill the remaining space in it half way with vanilla yogurt, and then the rest of the way with OJ. By the time you've filled the whole blender, you can slowly increase the speed and once it's maxed, leave it running for a few minutes. It almost fills 4 mason jars, and when we have colds running through my house, I'll have one or two jars daily. Nutrition is so important!

Never skip brushing your teeth and swishing with a good mouthwash and don't even THINK about touching your face. Wash your hands constantly. And wash your linens (in the whole house) like you have the worst OCD on the planet as soon as one person gets sick.

I am in college and I have 2 kids in kindergarten and first grade and I have yet to be sick this season. (Knocking on wood.) My husband has been sick almost nonstop. He works in a prison and is not nearly as meticulous about hand hygiene and other self-care as I am.

runlikeagirl · Aug 18, 2013

I take a daily multivitamin to supplement what I don't get in my diet. I also take my Zyrtec religiously and I've knocked my sinus infections down from 3-4 a year to maybe 1. Sleep is so important! I see that everyone seems to agree with that! Also, try to destress at the end of the day because stress lowers your immune system. Drinking plenty of water is important too. If I feel like I'm getting sick, I usually sleep more, get extra vitamin C through fruits (I drink smoothies just like that all the time), and sometimes dose myself with packets of emergen-C (sp?).