Part 1: What are the lifestyle factors that deplete your immune system, making you more vulnerable to catching colds?
If you are in touch with your body, you may already have some inkling of what tipped the scales in your body, that made whatever cold/ flu viruses in the environments you hang out in, sneak in under your body’s radar defenses. Can you guess what some of those lifestyle factor are that have thrown you out of balance?
There are so many factors that can tip your body’s immune system scale.
- Inadequate or restless sleep.
- Overwork to the point of exhaustion/ not enough quality downtime/ chronic longstanding overwork.
- Excess dependency on caffeine, alcohol & packaged foods.
- Chronic sedentary lifestyle/ lack of exercise.
- Forgetting to do a vitamin/ mineral supplement regime.
- Too much sugar consumption.
- Overuse of antibiotics.
- Psycho- emotional factors : Grief & Loss
- Exposure to severe cold, wet & wind on your neck or feet.
- Traveling on planes or being exposed to a closed loop heating & ventilation system in your work place.
- Overuse of antibiotics.
- Exposure to young children who are in day care or nurseries.
Too Much Sugar Consumption
The most influential of these lifestyle factors we will address is too much sugar consumption. This is a biggie for suppressing the function of the immune system. Too much white or brown sugar dampens a healthy appetite for fresh fruits & vegetables. When you are on the edge of a cold or flu or laid up feeling sick, try to cut back or ban these foods from your diet temporarily. White sugar and dairy. These are the perfect foods for cold bugs to thrive on. Don’t provide them with their favorite foods to party on and propagate!
Not Enough Quality Sleep or Reduced Hours of Sleep
Without good quality sleep, the immune system becomes weakened or depleted. Parents with young children are most susceptible to working overtime and cutting back to 6 instead of 8 hours sleep. When you are on the edge of a cold bug invading your throat or lungs, getting extra sleep (8 to 10 hrs) for a couple of nights can really boost your immune system to do the job it’s been trained to do.
Overwork to the Point of Exhaustion/ Not Enough Quality Downtime/ Chronic Longstanding Overwork
All three of these can contribute to depletion of the life force & energy reserves in the body. The adrenals glandular and nervous system are what take the brunt of this workaholic lifestyle, leading to depleted reserves of vitamins, minerals & enzymes in the body reserves. Overtime & overwork wipes out the savings account.
Keep in touch for Part 2 of the Cold series blog post! Have any questions in the meantime? Contact Kris today.
