As you get older, your immune health becomes more important than ever. As people age, their ability to fight infection decreases, making them more susceptible to the health problems infection causes. The good news is that you can take steps to boost your immune health and reduce the risk of getting an infection!

Get Regular Exercise. Exercise is crucial to keeping your immune system healthy. Regular exercise improves your circulation, helping your immune system to detect and respond to infection quickly. Exercise also improves your overall health, decreasing the risk of an infection and improving your body’s ability to handle it if it does.

There are two important ways to manage stress. Control the things you can and learn to cope with the things you can’t. Controlling the things you can means avoiding stresses that you can avoid. This could include relationships or situations that create stress and that you can avoid. Coping with the things you can’t avoid involves learning how to cope with unavoidable stress better. This could include using meditation, yoga, counseling, or even medication to better address stressful things you can’t directly avoid.

Increase Your Vitamin D Levels. Of all the nutrients known to help your immune system, vitamin D is perhaps the most important. You can get vitamin D by getting sunlight as much as possible and using supplements during winter or when you are stuck inside for long periods of time.

Avoid Bad Habits. Bad habits can have a very negative effect on your immune system health. The main habits that are known to impact your immune system include:

• Smoking

• Drinking heavily

• Overeating (if it causes you to be overweight)

By giving up your bad habits, you can promote your overall immune health. Giving up a bad habit can be challenging. If you’re struggling to control a habit, consider seeking professional support. Overcoming a bad habit can offer many health benefits beyond just supporting your immune health.

Pay Attention to Your Health. Part of supporting your immune system is making sure that your overall health is in good condition. This includes following medical advice for any health conditions you have and getting medical help sooner rather than later when potential issues occur. It also includes staying up with your regular doctor visits and screening to make sure any potential problems can be caught early.

Maintaining your immune system is important. To find out how we can support you during your aging journey, contact us to take a tour of a senior center near you!