Importance of the Immune System in Longevity
The outbreak of the COIVID-19 pandemic has everyone thinking more about their immune systems. Living a healthy lifestyle prior to the outbreak meant eating right, having enough sleep, and staying active. Now, more than ever, people need to focus on boosting their immune systems as well, to ward off the coronavirus, and also to protect themselves from whatever is to follow.
Practicing life extension techniques can strengthen your immune system and give it the boost it needs to defend your body against the uncertainty of this quickly changing world.
How Your Immune System Works
When it comes to warding off viruses and bacteria, T-cells are primary players in your body’s defenses. Their job is to respond to foreign pathogens, break them down, and remember how to fight them in the future.
Naïve T-cells react to new invaders and learn how to combat them effectively. Once they’ve successfully destroyed a pathogen, they turn into memory T-cells. Memory T-cells are then stored in your body and deployed if you ever encounter that same pathogen again. For some diseases, this means the next time you’re infected you’ll suffer much milder symptoms. For others, it can mean a lifetime of immunity.
That’s why when you have the chickenpox as a child, you’re immune to it for the rest of your life. Every time thereafter, when you encounter the virus that causes chickenpox, your body remembers how to fight it and can shut it down quickly and effectively.
Effects of Your Immune System on Longevity
As you age, your body naturally produces fewer T-cells and proteins that support effective immune function. The more viruses you encounter, the more naïve T-cells are turned into memory T-cells. Without the same number of naïve T-cells, your body can become inefficient at fighting novel pathogens.
Not only does cell production slow down, but existing T-cells become less effective as you age. Your body produces fewer proteins to help the T-cells divide and conquer their foes. This leads to an increased susceptibility to pathogens, even ones you’ve already encountered that your body knows how to combat. Practicing proper life extension techniques can help to replenish the nutrients to promote naïve T-cell production and boost protein development within your body, leading to a stronger immune system.
Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Immune System
There are several steps you can take to bolster your immune system and live a much longer and healthier life.
- Healthy eating
- Adequate sleep
- Managing stress
- Taking vitamin supplements
Much of your immune system is located in the gut. Maintaining a healthy diet is key to keeping the microbiome in your digestive system strong and happy. Consistently getting enough sleep will help your body maintain a natural rhythm, and managing stress levels can help boost the production of infection-fighting T-cells.
Taking vitamin supplements can help to replenish the levels of nutrients and proteins that your body can no longer produce for necessary T-cell production, strengthening your immune system and leading to a long, healthy life.
Boost Your Immune System with Life Extension Practices
It’s only natural that your body slows down as you age, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it. Practice life extension practices such as maintaining healthy eating habits, getting enough sleep, managing stress levels, and taking the proper supplements to boost your immune system and protect yourself from pathogens. Most people practice some sort of longevity principles, but in the era of COVID-19 and all the uncertainty it brings, it’s more important now than ever to focus on strengthening your immune system for both longevity and whatever might come next.
