Survive the winter healthy: tips for a robust immune system

This is the season to give your immune system extra TLC. Fortunately, there are many easy, natural ways to boost your immunity so your body remains balanced. From a healthy diet to a relaxing sauna visit, we share our top tips below.

What happens to your immune system in the winter?

Winter, with its various stressors, can really take its toll on your immune system, leaving it weakened and making you more susceptible to viruses.

• There is less sunlight so your body produces less vitamin D. This vitamin plays a vital role in the proper functioning of your immune system. If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you will catch colds and the flu more easily.
• The cold air outside and dry warm air from central heating dry out the mucous membranes of your nose and throat. These are important allies in your fight against viruses. If they don’t function optimally, germs can get past these defences more easily.
• In the winter, you spend less time outdoors. In enclosed spaces, viruses like the common cold and flu can spread a lot more easily.
• Long, dark winter days and the hectic festive season can also add more stress. Long-term stress exposure decreases your immunity. 

How to boost your immunity in the winter

Try to eat a varied, whole-food diet as much as possible. Choose lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. This healthy way of eating really supports your immune system. 
Take regular exercise, even when it’s cold outside. Just going for walk will have positive effects. 
Prioritise sleep, go to bed on time and make sure there are very few distractions so you can fall asleep quickly and enjoy a restful, uninterrupted night’s sleep. 
And don’t forget to regularly take time out for relaxation. A sauna session, for instance, gives your immune system a real workout.  

Why a day of sauna does wonders in the winter

Spending a few hours in the sauna is not only relaxing, it does so much more for your immunity than you may realise:

• During a sauna visit, your body temperature rises by a few degrees, which may seem like a small amount but it is enough to kickstart quite a few processes in your body. Your body responds to the heat by producing more white blood cells, which help you fight off illnesses.
• Your blood vessels widen. This improves blood flow and oxygen and nutrients can circulate around your body more efficiently. What’s more, waste products are also cleared more quickly, taking the pressure of your liver and kidneys which normally carry out this waste removal process. Your immune cells circulate better too, allowing them to deal with intruders before they can cause any harm.
• Your body releases more endorphins, the so-called happiness hormones. At the same time, the heat exposure also lowers cortisol levels, the stress hormone. As a result of these two processes, you are able to relax more easily and sleep better.
• Do also have a session in the more humid saunas and the steam bath. They help keep the mucous layers in your nose and throat healthy. The humid heat keeps them moist, so you are better protected from viruses trying to enter your body via your airways.
• After the sauna, you should cool down with a cold shower and maybe a dip in the plunge pool. This alternate exposure to hot and cold trains your circulatory system and helps your body cope better with temperature fluctuations.  

Fancy a sauna day? Visit Thermae Boetfort, we are open most days and advance booking is not required, unless you are using a voucher. Click here for more info about what you do or don’t have to book.