Boost Your Immune System After 40
How to Boost Your Immune System: A Guide for Women 40+
I hate to say it but cold and flu season is right around the corner. We have about 8 weeks. The good news is the best way to boost your immune system after 40 is that you can start right now to get your body healthy. Starting now helps minimize your symptoms and chances of getting sick. This blog is designed to help you and your families stay healthy this year. Let’s dig in!
Why Do I Get Sick More Often or Stay Sick Longer After 40?
There are two reasons why you get sick more often and stay sick longer. First are hormonal shifts during perimenopause. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels start to decline during perimenopause. Leading to a weakened immune system, lowering your body’s defenses against bacteria and viruses. Stress impacts your immune system, hormones, and gut health. Increased cortisol leads to chronic stress and poor sleep quality. Lack of sleep quality affects your immune system.
Second, your gut health shifts during perimenopause. A decline in hormones causes a shift in your gut microbiome. Many women complain of digestive issues that pop up when your hormones shift, such as infrequent bloating, bowel movements, IBS-like symptoms, and weight gain. Your immune system lies in your gut and hormonal shifts alter your microbiome, and susceptibility to colds increases.
Why Does My Digestion Seem Worse Now and Could That Be Why I’m Catching Every Cold that Comes Around?
Factors that impact digestion include poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle, and toxins in our air, food, and water. These factors disrupt the gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria in our gut. Our immune system starts in our gut and when the gut is impacted, our immune system follows. When we think of our immune system, we think about the cells that fight off infection and disease. In order to boost your immune system after 40, you need to address your gut health. According to a PubMed study, “Development of the immune system and efficacy of the immune response go hand in hand with development and composition of the gut microbiota.”
Our immune system is made up of two parts: the innate and adaptive immune systems.
- Innate immune system: Made up of physical and chemical barriers; skin and mucous membranes, and immune cells.
- Adaptive immune system: Made up of cells that fight off foreign invaders, like bacteria and viruses.
Beyond the immune system is a condition called immunosenescence, the gradual and natural decline in the immune system caused by aging. Affecting both the innate and adaptive immune systems and leads to an increased risk of catching a cold or flu. A study done by PubMed explains, “Immunosenescence has defined the destruction and remodeling of immune organ structure as well as innate and adaptive immune dysfunction with aging, causing poor vaccination outcomes, and increased susceptibility to infection, age-related disease, and malignancies.”
How Does High Cortisol & Stress Weaken Your Immune System?
Chronic stress stimulates your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. When cortisol remains elevated or is triggered daily, it suppresses your immune system. Chronic stress reduces your body’s ability to fight off infections well. Cortisol also impacts your hormones and gut. To boost your immune system after 40, working to destress is important. A study done by Pubmed says, “Cortisol is ordinarily anti-inflammatory and contains the immune response, but chronic elevations can lead to the immune system becoming “resistant,” an accumulation of stress hormones, and increased production of inflammatory cytokines that further compromise the immune response.”
Do Supplements Work if You Don’t Eat a Healthy Diet?
No. Supplements are designed to support the body in healing, however, many people use supplements as a replacement for unhealthy diets or lifestyles. As a functional medicine doctor, I do believe in supplementation but only when you are eating whole foods and working on improving your lifestyle. Otherwise, supplements are a waste of money.
How to Boost Your Immune System After 40 with Better Food and Hydration Habits?
There are lots of great foods you can eat to boost your immune system after 40. Prioritize animal protein, healthy fats, such as avocados, olive oil, butter, ghee, beef tallow, and coconut oil. Eat vegetables for your carbohydrates and citrus fruits to increase your vitamin C intake.
When it comes to hydration, aim to drink about 75-100oz water daily. Make sure you are drinking purified water to avoid heavy metals and toxins that lie in our water system. Or look into investing in a reverse osmosis water filtration system. If you get bored drinking water all day, add in a lemon or lime and swap plain water for bubbly water. To increase hydration levels without having to drink more water, take electrolytes daily. Electrolytes help your body retain and hold water better than drinking water alone. Electrolytes also increase sodium and potassium levels, blood pressure, and quicker recovery. Here’s a link to the brand we love.
Can Over-Exercising Lower Your Immunity in Cold Weather?
Yes. As we age, we should cut back on high intensity exercises like cardio or HIIT training. Exercising too hard increases cortisol, which most of us are working to lower. And in the cooler months, cardio or intense workouts can lead to higher cortisol levels. The best exercises to boost your immune system are walking, yoga, and pilates. Light exercise increases your circulation, immune system, ability to reduce inflammation, and improve your metabolic health. Plus these types of exercises calm your nervous system by lowering cortisol.
How To Boost Your Immune System After 40
Other ways to boost your immune system after 40 include saunas, sunlight for vitamin D, red light therapy, mindset work, and supplementation.
Saunas
Saunas heat the body from the inside out. Sweating helps eliminate toxins by raising your core temperature and stimulating your lymphatic system. Saunas around 150 degrees are best, just make sure to hydrate prior and take electrolytes after to prevent dehydration. You can start at a lower temperature, as low as 130 degrees and slowly work your way up to 150 degrees. Saunas are great to do 4-7 times per week.
Sunlight and Vitamin D
Sunlight increases vitamin D levels, especially early morning sunlight. Plus 10-20 minutes of sunlight in the morning resets your circadian rhythm. This is especially beneficial for women who struggle with sleep. Morning sun resets your biological clock and stimulates immune cells. Vitamin D helps regulate hormones, which tend to decrease during perimenopause. The goal is 10-30 minutes in sunlight without sunscreen or sunglasses every day.
Red Light Therapy
Red Light Therapy targets mitochondria, the powerhouse of our cells and gives our body energy. Increased mitochondria helps our immune system fight off infection, reduce inflammation, and oxidative stress.
Mindset Work
Mindset work like journaling, praying, and meditation are powerful exercises to help recenter yourself, reduce stress, or connect to a higher power. Starting your day with a positive mindset, prayer, journaling, or meditation reduces cortisol levels and inflammation. It also helps you feel better about going about challenges that come at you during the day.
Supplementation
Supplementation supports your body. Specific supplements like quercetin, black cumin seed, zinc, vitamins C & D, neem, and medicinal mushrooms support a healthy immune system. These supplements can increase your body’s ability to fight off infection. One thing to note, supplements alone cannot increase your immune system, you must be pairing with proper nutrition and better lifestyle choices. I personally love blended supplements that contain multiple of these ingredients working together synergistically.
The supplements I recommend that you start taking now so you can help your body increase its ability to fight against viruses, bacteria, and parasites. CytoImmune, Drainage Activator, and ViRad Chem Binder.
- CytoImmune: A blend of the above mentioned supplements to support a healthy immune system, this aids in strengthening the immune system’s ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. Increase dosage at the onset of cold or flu symptoms to aid in the healing process.
- Drainage Activator: Containing an adaptogenic mushroom blend and stimulates the lymphatic system, liver, and kidneys to support detoxification.
- ViRadChem Binder: Bacteria, viruses, and toxins can’t be eliminated without a binder to grab onto so your body can properly remove them. This binder uses decomposed soil to rid the body of microbial and environmental toxins. You can find these online.
Ready to Get Started?
If you want to get a head start on strengthening your immune system, please click here to shop for supplements. If you want to work with us and let us create a personalized nutrition, lifestyle, and supplementation plan for you this season, click here to visit our website and get started today.
