‘The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow’, and probably a whole lot else. Yep, it’s that extremity-numbing time of year when even the icicles start to get icicles. But the freezing-cold weather can do more than just lower our spirits; it can lower our immunity too, with as little as a 5°C drop in nasal-tissue temperature reducing our immune response by nearly 50%, according to US research. So to help get you through the chilly winter months, we’ve put together a cold-defying checklist of immunity-boosting tips, ensuring that, however you celebrate the festive season, your wonderful Christmastime won’t turn into a bleak midwinter.
Wrap up
Telling you to dress warmly in cold weather may sound like stating the obvious, but it’s worth knowing the science behind this. As the body has to keep its core temperature within a fairly narrow range, exposing yourself to the cold just puts an extra strain on it, diverting much-needed energy from the body’s essential functions and compromising the immune response. To stay warm and dry while being protected from the elements, the old advice about layering your clothing still holds true.
Eat up
It might be hard to appreciate the benefits of a plateful of fruit and vegetables when it’s five degrees below, but maintaining a well-balanced diet is an important part of immune function. As well as your five-a-day, probiotics – derived from sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha, for example – have been shown to give your immunity that extra boost.
Dose up
We’re talking vitamin D, which plays an essential role in immune-system function. Even for the omnivorous, it can be a challenge to get enough vitamin D from food, as very few foods contain it in significant amounts, making vitamin D deficiency one of the most common nutrient deficiencies worldwide. It becomes especially important to get enough vitamin D in winter, when sunlight – the best source of vitamin D for the body – is in such short supply.
So how much is enough? The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 10 to 15 micrograms (mcg), or 400 international units (IU), though the precise amount will depend on a number of factors, including your age (adults older than 70 will need around 20 mcg, or 800 IU, a day), your skin tone, your sun exposure, the kind of clothes you wear and where on the planet you happen to live. For vegans looking to get their vitamin D from food, your best bet is probably fortified milk and cereals. Otherwise, consider supplementing. When it comes to buying supplements, go for vitamin D3, which is said to be more potent than its cousin, vitamin D2, and strict vegans will need to get vitamin D2 that’s sourced from lichen, rather than the alternative, lanolin, a type of wax produced by wool-bearing animals. Either way, be aware that the upper safe limit for vitamin D has been set at 100 mcg (4,000 IU) per day.
Drink up
Surprisingly, it can be easier to become dehydrated in winter than in summer. This is mainly because without hot, sweaty weather, we have less reason to reach for that bottle of water. And have you noticed how dry your skin gets in winter? It’s the result of an increased loss of water through the skin from winter’s low humidity and windy conditions. Add in the drying effects of that car heater and your electric fire at home, and you can see how we end up feeling like wrinkled chips. Drinking sufficient water not only helps to regulate body temperature but also aids the body’s detoxification process and improves immunity.
Rest up
There are few situations in life where lying down and doing nothing for eight hours could be one of the most useful parts of your day, such is the importance that sleep has in our lives. Simply put, sleep fortifies our inbuilt defence network, preventing or limiting infections in our body, which are more common in winter, when those toe-nipping northerlies are killing off almost half of our bacteria-fighting cells. The fact is, getting less than six or seven hours of sleep a night can increase your risk of infection in the short term, and lead to multiple health problems in the long term. Insomniacs beware.
So it’s official: You now have a science-backed medical reason for putting that work report away and hitting the sack for some deliciously restorative rest and that all-important quota of kip – your whole defence system depends on it, after all. Which only goes to show that, despite all those ice-scraping, path-gritting moments and the daily red-nosed battles with Jack Frost, even winter has its benefits.
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