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The Best Biohacks to Naturally Boost Your Immunity

by Cynthia Greenfield

Top Biohacks to Boost Your ImmunityThese are the top 6 biohacks to naturally boost your immunity and optimize your health.

If you’re looking for the best, science-based biohacks to naturally boost your immunity, you came to the right place.

Before we begin, we’d like to share a little-known secret with you.

Reducing your body’s inflammation boosts your immunity.

It's that simple.

When we reduce our body’s inflammation, our immune system can focus its resources to fight infection.

All of the biohacks in this article will help reduce your body’s inflammation and boost your immunity. If you combine all of them, you will improve your health and reduce your chances of getting sick.

DISCLAIMER: We recommend consulting with your health care professional. This article does not contain medical advice.

  • 1. Get plenty of sleep

  • Woman sleeping

    • Getting enough sleep every night is the ultimate biohack for improving your health. Sleep is key to optimizing your immunity and reducing inflammation. Sleep deficiency results in chronic low-level inflammation and increases levels of inflammatory markers (1-3).

    How much sleep is enough? That depends on your age and activity level and varies from person-to-person. However, recent research and sleep research foundations recommend 7 or more hours for adults (5-6).

  • 2. Reduce stress

    • Woman meditating

    Stress and loneliness are the silent killers in our fast-paced, remote, and increasingly impersonal society. Reducing stress is a powerful biohack that can improve your immune function and reduce inflammation.

    Research shows that psychological stress and depression increase inflammation and weaken immune function (7-9). 

    A frantic lifestyle and too much stimulation from electronics and social media all contribute to psychological stress. What are the best ways to reduce stress to optimize our health?

    Mindfulness and breathing exercises reduce perceived stress, increase relaxation, and can reduce aging and inflammation (10-11). Don’t have a lot of time? 15 minutes can be enough to change your mindset and promote relaxation.

    Relaxing activities and positive social interaction reduce stress (12). Meet up with your favorite people. It's great to meet new people, too! Take time for your favorite hobby. Play a game. Go for a relaxing walk with your favorite human or animal. 

    Anything that helps you connect with others and brings your mind into the present moment can help reduce stress and optimize your immunity.

  • 3. Get direct midday sunlight

    • Woman sunbathing

    Getting adequate sunlight is an important biohack for improving our health. Daily exposure to sunlight can improve our mental health and increase vitamin D production (13).

    How much sunlight is enough and when is the best time to go outside? 

    Research shows that 10-30 minutes between 10 am to 1 pm is enough to optimize vitamin D production while reducing the risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma (skin cancer) (14-15). 

    When the sun is high in the sky at midday, our skin gets more short-wavelength UVB light that stimulates Vitamin D production.

    Ever wonder why sunsets are red and orange? Sunlight has more atmosphere to travel through in the morning and evening, causing short-wavelength light to scatter but letting longer-wavelength light through.

    When the sun is lower in the sky, our skin get more longer-wavelength UVA light that promotes melanoma formation, and less short-wavelength UVB that stimulates Vitamin D production.

  • 4. Exercise daily

    • Man jogging in park with dog

    Want to feel better and improve your immunity? Exercise every day.

    Daily exercise strengthens immune function, reduces inflammation, and can even slow down aging (16-18). Any exercise is better than no exercise at all. Going for short walk can improve your mood and boost your immune system. 

    Vigorous exercise is great for preventing chronic inflammation (16). However, get enough rest if you exercise intensely. Exercising too much without adequate rest can actually increase short-term inflammation (17).

  • 5. Eat fresh, whole foods that are high in fiber and low in simple sugars

    • Spring salad with vegetables

    Food is the ultimate medicine and an essential biohack for improving your health. We are quite literally what we eat.

    Did you know that our gut health has profound effects on our health? Our gut contains approximately 100 billion bacteria (19). The composition of our gut bacteria affects everything from our health and fitness to disease, inflammation, and immunity (20-21).

    Simple sugars are food for pro-inflammatory bacteria and fiber is food for anti-inflammatory bacteria.

    Eating a diet that is low in simple sugars and high in fiber reduces inflammation and increases levels of anti-inflammatory bacteria (22-24).

  • 6. Improve your gut health and fight infection with oregano oil

  • Oregano oil. Oil of oregano. Oreganum vulgaris

    • Our final biohack has been used since ancient Greek times to improve health, reduce inflammation, and fight infection. Oregano oil is a first-aid kit in a bottle. It is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and can improve digestion and gut health (25-30).

    Recent research shows that oregano oil can also help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety (31-33).

     

     

  • Read Next

    • Top benefits of wild oregano oil

    Article Reviewed by Michal Matyjasik, Ph.D.

    References

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