Immune System | Boost Immune System | How To Improve Immune System

In this week’s video we’re looking at
how you can maintain a healthy immune systemwe’ve had so many messages so
many comments to do a video on thistopic in light of the whole Covid-19 situation
first of all I am seeing so many advertisements right now an Instagram onFacebook all over the internet really of
companies trying to promote the sale oftheir supplements claiming things that
they boost your immune system and loadsmore I just want to confirm to you that
these supplements who are claiming toboost your immune system are warping the
truth there is no evidence supportingthis and there is also no evidence
supporting the use of any supplementssuch as vitamin C zinc or anything
really to protect you or prevent youfrom getting Covid-19 non whatsoever
and to be quite honest with you I reallythink that these companies who try to
make money out of the current situationwell they should really be ashamed of
themselves now let’s get back to myusual chilled self it just really upsets
me to see these false claims out thereand I don’t want you or anyone really to
fall for these false claims andpotentially harm yourself so please
remember that most people can get all ofthe vitamins and minerals that they
require through a healthy balanced dietvitamin D supplementation however is
recommended in the UK during autumn andwinter time and this is recommended by
the Department of Health also there area small number of individuals who will
require supplementation but theirhealthcare professional would have let
them know to do this now that we’re donewith vitamins I’m going to tell you
everything you need to do to maintain ahealthy immune system so what we waiting
for let’s begin so tip number one theeasiest thing that you can do to help
maintain a healthy immune system isgetting enough sleep because when we
don’t get enough sleep we produce lesscytokines and cytokines are a type of
protein which target infection andinflammation effectively creating an
immune response so if you’re an adultplease aim for seven to eight hours
consistently every single night now ifyou’re 16 or under you will require more
sleep and I will break this down for youin the description below tip number two
you need to be doing regular moderateintensity exercise so what does that
mean it means 150 minutes of moderateintensity exercise every single week and
I know it can be a bit tricky right nowbecause gyms are closed sports clubs are closed and the guidance is for you tostay at home as much as you can
to protect yourself to protect otherswhich is great but it can make doing the
exercise a bit more difficult but pleaseremember this does not mean stop
exercising because there’s loads ofexercises that you can do at home and
these moderate intensity exercises aregoing to help maintain a healthy immune
system and if you’re stuck for ideas I didmake a video a few weeks ago with a
personal trainer a friend of mine allabout exercises that you can do at home
to help you lose weight it was from astudy done in Oxford so if you’re free if
you’ve got time check it out I leave alink to it up here tip number three
eating a healthy balanced diet and Iknow as healthcare professionals we talk
about healthy balanced diets all thetime well it’s actually really important
in helping you maintain a healthy immunesystem and I know we all think we have a
healthy balanced dietwe just think to yourself what are you
eating it might also be useful keeping alog and looking at what you’re eating
so the main thing that you need to lookout for is are you eating lots of
processed foods like biscuits cakesburgers sausages ready meals all which
are high in saturated fats high in saltshigh in sugars all which we know are
notoriously bad for you or are youeating lots of unprocessed foods like
vegetables fruits whole grainsunprocessed fish so the best way to kind
of think of it is are you eating moreunprocessed food or processed foods the
more unprocessed the food is that you’reeating the more healthy and balanced
your diet is going to be tip number fourit’s all about stress and there’s
actually quite a lot of research outthere that high levels of stress can
actually dampen your immune system sowhat you need to try and do is stress
less so I guess it’s more important thanever right now to stay in touch with
family stay in touch with friends eitherby a telephone via FaceTime by email
whatever works for you obviously youcan’t really see them physically face to
face because of all the socialdistancing that’s going on right now but
find a way to speak to people and talkabout what’s worrying you talk about
what you’ve done in the day and talkabout what you’re going to do all of
these are going to help reduce yourstress levels and if you know someone
who’s on their own contact them see howthey’re doing give them a ring
FaceTime them whateverwhatever works for you tip number five
practicing good hygiene this is ourfirst line of defence to keep germs at bay so it’s super important that youfollow good personal hygiene habits so
what can you do well firstly you need towash your hands often with soap or water
for a minimum of twenty seconds now ifyou don’t have soap or water available
to you you can use alcohol handsanitiser instead but please remember a
lot of the times I see people using alcoholhand sanitizer incorrectly squirt a load
in their hand and they just go like thisthey’re not covering all the different
areas they should be doing so there is areally useful link that I’m going to
leave in the description below it showsyou exactly how to use hand sanitiser
properly there’s also an NHS video whichshows you how to wash your hands
properly I will leave them both in thedescription below for you and I’d
highly recommend everyone watches it andalso please remember that if you do cut
yourself please wash the areastraightaway and cover it with a bandage
now if you do have a wound that’shealing or any spots please don’t pick
at the wound or pick any spots becausethis is all going to allow germs to get
in which is our physical barrier we’vehad a lot of questions comments and
messages about this so I hope that helpsand if you do have to cough or sneeze
please cover your mouth and noseimmediately with either a flexed elbow
or preferably a tissue once you’re donewith that tissue please throw it in the
bin straight away do not put it back inyour pocket to use later I have seen
people do that you know who you aretip number six it can be a bit of a
difficult one but if you do want tomaintain a healthy immune system the
evidence is there that you need to quitsmoking that is if you do smoke however
also if you drink alcohol make sure youdrink the recommended amount of alcohol
do not exceed this because if you doexceed it it’s going to hurt your immune
system now for all the six tips in thisvideo I will of course leave more
information on them in the descriptionbelow I’ll also leave some links to some
really useful articles and I’d highlyrecommend everyone checks them out these
really are unprecedented times right nowand I know that a lot of you will be
social distancing so I just want to saythank you for doing that
you’re protecting yourself you’reprotecting others and helping the health
system so thank you but I alsounderstand that social distancing can
make your mood quite low it can be quiteboring it can be quite frustrating I
understand all that and in times likethese it can be very easy to fall into
an unhealthy pattern of behavior whichcan lower your mood and dampen your
immune system so it’s really important that youstay both mentally and physically active
so please try your best to maintain ahealthy lifestyle as we’ve discussed in
this video including a balanced dietplenty of fluids sleep exercise and most
importantly social contact if you livewith someone in the same house that’s
great but also people that you don’tlive with or if you’re on your own
please maintain social contact eithervia telephone by email by FaceTime via
letters whatever works for you I reallyhope you find the information in this
video useful and please remember do notfall for these adverts that we’re seeing
on Instagram and all over the internetabout supplements boosting your immune
system and loads more you now know thefacts and instead try to make these
simple lifestyle changes that we’vediscussed in this video to help maintain
a healthy immune system always rememberthat you’re awesome and I will see you next
week hey guys thanks for watching thisweek’s video
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