Did you know that your nose plays a crucial role in fighting off infection and keeping you healthy? Recent studies have shown that breathing through your mouth can increase your risk of infection.
But first, if you're not taking care of the simple things, your immunity will suffer. Read this first section and familiarize yourself with the foundations.
THE BASICS
Functional Tools for a Healthy Immune System
Getting enough high-quality sleep is imperative for both mental and physical health. Establish a consistent sleep routine and make sure you're timing your sleep correctly with patterns and rhythms. Don't neglect this foundational aspect of your health - prioritize it!
Getting sufficient sunlight is imperative for regulating our body's natural rhythm. Our genes require proper expression at the appropriate time of day to ensure that our cell functions activate and deactivate effectively.
To achieve this, it is worth exposing your eyes to sunlight in the morning and evening while avoiding bright light during the night. This will assist in keeping your body's natural rhythm in check, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
Everyone should be getting 150-180 minutes of Zone 2 Cardio per week. This is cardiovascular exercise where we can just barely hold a conversation.
Avoiding processed foods and prioritizing whole foods is crucial. Consider supplementing with EMPower Plus to prevent nutrient deficiencies. It's important to stay hydrated and maintain social connections for a healthy immune system.
Maintaining optimal eye health is imperative for boosting our immunity. Our eyes act as the primary point of entry for countless bacteria and viruses. Interestingly, the tiny speck of sleep that accumulates in the corner of our eyes or on our eyelashes upon awakening is in fact comprised of deceased bacteria that we have effectively battled during the night.
Maintaining a healthy gut is imperative for a robust immune system. To improve the protective mucous layer in your digestive tract, it's worth consuming 2-4 servings of low-sugar fermented foods. These foods effectively reduce the activity of certain cytokines, which in turn decreases inflammation. Nato, kimchi, and sauerkraut are some examples of such foods.
BREATHING AND IMMUNITY
After covering the foundational aspects, let's dive into something interesting. Did you know your nose plays a key role in fighting off infections and keeping you healthy?
It's worth mentioning that the nasal microbiome has a formidable ability to eliminate bacteria and ward off certain types of infections. It's imperative to keep in mind that, besides eating or speaking, breathing through your nose and refraining from mouth breathing is crucial. Your nose is far more adept at filtering out viruses and bacteria than your mouth.
Breathing through the mouth may not be the optimal choice, as the cells and organs in the mouth only protect against certain types of infection. For individuals with deviated septums or collapsed sinuses who struggle with nasal breathing, it is worth attempting to dilate the sinuses by breathing through the nose. While this may take some time, the sinuses possess a degree of plasticity.
Nasal breathing can aid in combatting the continual intake of viruses, bacteria, and parasites from our surroundings. It is crucial to strengthen the immune system to effectively ward off these detrimental agents.
Your nose plays a vital role in your body, serving three essential functions: allowing you to smell, facilitating your breathing, and filtering out harmful invaders that can cause illness. Therefore, it is imperative to assess your breathing patterns consistently, both during the day and at night. You can ask your friends or family members to provide you with feedback on your breathing, which can help you identify your patterns.
Simon Brazier. Dip HN, NNCP
