Last updated June 14, 2024
Traveling can tax your immune system, and exercise can of course help to counter that. But there are other factors to consider when it comes to boosting your immune health, especially when traveling.
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Sticking to a consistent routine when away from your home routine is always a recommendation for body regulation and overall health. What can you do to keep your immune health at its peak when traveling?
These five ways to boost immune health can be helpful for every and all, no matter your jetsetter status.
Five Ways to Boost Immune Health
Here are five ways to boost immune health when traveling.
1. Get your gut in check
Your gut is ground zero for a healthy immune system. If you want to boost immune health, one of the first places to look is your gut.
Gearing up your gut for a trip can (and recommending it does) start days, if not a week or two, before you fly.
But, we are human, and typically wait until the last minute. Some of my favorite go-to snacks that I pack include:
- Cut oranges or small clementines (easier to eat in flight)
- Green or ginger tea
- Sprouted nuts and seeds
- Cut up pineapple, kiwi, blueberries or other tropical fruits
- Superfoods, like goji and golden berries, and spirulina tablets
2. Clean up your sleep hygiene
If you’re not sleeping properly, your body isn’t able to restore itself either.
Studies have proven that poor sleep can negatively affect your mental and physical health, relationships, work performance and immunity.
Sleep certainly has come to the forefront of the well-being table over the past few years and its importance to our overall health; but, what are we actually doing about it?
We spend one-third of our lives sleeping. That’s a massive chunk of time! I’ve found having actionable steps toward changing my sleep patterns works easier than overhauling the entire gambit.
Here are a few tips to help boost your immune health and get you started on a better night’s rest:
- Cut food 2-3 hours before bed
- Pre plan my next day ahead
- Feng shui my electronics by placing them in another room
- White noise machine, eye mask or ear plugs
3. Drink up (water)
This goes without saying, you probably already know the importance of staying hydrated.
The direct impact of hydration and your immune health isn’t often discussed. To keep it brief, our immune system is highly dependent on the nutrients in our blood stream.
Guess what, our blood stream is mainly made of water!
Tips to get in more water and boost your immune health:
- Bring a water bottle with you everywhere, filling up at stations found in most major airports.
- Drink two glasses of water upon waking up, and each hour you’re in flight.
- Add sliced fruit to your water for a touch of flavor before or after, or lemon
4. Supplement your immune system
A little boost can go a long way. Of course, eating the top foods for immunity are ideal; however, I personally would take a bit of help, especially when traveling to avoid additional germs that come along for the ride.
Los Angeles-based travel expert, Sarah Dandashy, recommends the following tips to boost immune health:
- Travel with a mini bag of vitamins
- Include Emergen-C, Vitamin C, Airborne
- Ensure to start your day with some water and the mentioning of the vitamins above
5. Manage your stress
When you’re stressed, your body is in a constant state of flight or fight, high adrenaline, and putting little to no energy and effort toward repair, healing and (you guessed it) keeping your immune system at its optimal height.
It’s like pushing a boulder up a hill: you can only get so far before you reach exhaustion and get tumbled over (a.k.a. getting sick).
Tips to chill out and boost your immune health:
- Move your body daily, even if you’re in line waiting to board the flight
- Incorporate breathing when triggered for stress, which you can do from wherever
- Journal, even if it’s jotting down in a notebook or your device
- Lower the workload on your plate by prioritizing—what do you need to focus on right now
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