10 Signs That Show You Have Weak Immune System

Arjun Vaidya, CEO, Dr. Vaidya's says that this COVID-19 pandemic has attracted everyone’s attraction towards important but often overlooked system of our body. Yes! You guessed it right- Immunity system. Everyone is searching for quick means of improving immunity along with maintaining personal hygiene and social distancing. This health crisis has given us a chance to learn more about immunity and take appropriate steps for empowering it. Our immune system forms first line of defence against attack of harmful foreign agents like viruses, bacteria, allergens. When on target, it is our life saviour. But eating less nutritious food, lack of sleep, and high stress levels can weaken our immune system making us easy prey for germs. How to know that our immune system is not working efficiently and needs an uplift is a common question.

Here are warning signs by Arjun Vaidya, CEO, Dr. Vaidya's, that indicate our immunity is below par and there is an urgent need to strengthen it up.

Recurring infections

It's normal to have two or three episodes of cold in a year. But if we are catching cold more often and need more time to recover, it is suggestive of weak immunity. Lowered immunity cannot effectively eradicate the pathogens. Recurring episodes of ear infections, sinusitis are also pointers of reduced immunity.

Extended recovery period

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Harender Singh Rajaura (@hsrajaura) onMay 19, 2020 at 12:39am PDT

In a person with weak immunity, severity of infections is more in comparison to that in healthy individual. Also infections last for longer duration, become hard to treat and often require more than usual time for full recovery.

Frequent Fungal Infections

Repeated incidences of fungal infections or thrush in mouth is an indicator of the underperforming immune system. Most of the disease-causing fungi are opportunistic pathogens, meaning they only cause disease under certain circumstances − such as weakened immune system.

Frequent digestion issues

The gut is now reverently described as our second brain and the gateway to health. Ayurveda believes that root of all diseases is weak digestion and so did Hippocrates, father of modern medicine. The beneficial microorganisms living in gut defend us from infections and support the immune system. Frequent diarrhoea, bloating or constipation, could be a signal of depleted immune system.

Excessive tiredness

If you are getting exhausted easily and have a constant feeling of tiredness, weak immunity can be a reason. Body tries to preserve energy for utilisation by immune system and this makes you feel tired. This may be accompanied by vague symptoms like upset stomach, decreased appetite, and paining joints. Researchers have observed the suppression of several immune functions, especially natural killer cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation in patients with long term fatigue.

Wounds not healing quickly

Whenever an injury occurs, our immune systems work efficiently to ward off any intruder and also helps in repairing of wounds without any infection. An impaired immune system has been demonstrated to severely impede the wound healing process.

High-stress levels

When we are stressed, there is surge in cortisol hormone levels. This stress hormone lowers the number of lymphocytes and thus, suppresses the effectiveness of the immune system. This compromises body’s ability to fight off antigens making us more susceptible to infections.

Don't Miss:Bring Out Your Inner Chef & Cook These 21 Tasty Immunity Boosting Recipes Each Day

Overweight

Being overweight is cause of many health hazards. More weight means more adipose tissues. These tissues release more cytokines resulting in a low-grade, chronic inflammation. This constant inflammation causes an excess burden on your immune system. In addition to this, there are disturbing levels of circulating nutrients and metabolic hormones. All these negatively impacts immune function and host defence in obese individuals.

Too much sugar intake

High quantity of sugar intake temporarily tamp down immune system’s ability to respond to challenges for several hours. Eating sweets too frequently may result in slowing down of your immune system. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 100 g of sugar (think three cans of soda) significantly hampered the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria for up to 5 hours afterward.

Not getting enough sunlight

We all are aware of sun light’s role in producing Vitamin D. But if we fail to get adequate sunlight, it may compromise our immunity. Researchers have discovered that sunlight also energises T cells, which play an active role in our immune response. The presence of any of these signs could be an indicator of the weakened immune system. The healthy immune system is a key to healthy life. By eating well, getting enough rest, keeping gut healthy, and managing stress you can certainly bolster your immunity.

References:

1. The impact of obesity on the immune response to infection, Proc Nutr Soc. 2012 May;71(2):298-306. doi: 10.1017/S0029665112000158. Epub 2012 Mar 14.

2. The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Gut Microbes. 2012;3(1):4–14. doi:10.4161/gmic.19320.

3. Aspects of Gut Microbiota and Immune System Interactions in Infectious Diseases, Immunopathology, and Cancer, Frontiers in Immunology, 2018, 9.

4. Stress-induced immune dysfunction: implications for health, Nature, 2005, 5:243- 251.

5. Silverman MN, Neuroendocrine and immune contributors to fatigue. PM R. 2010;2(5):338–346. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.04.008.

6. Ellis S, Lin EJ, Tartar D. Immunology of Wound Healing. Curr Dermatol Rep. 2018;7(4):350–358. doi:10.1007/s13671-018-0234-9.

7. Albert Sanchez, Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1973, 26(11): 1180–1184.

Image courtesy: All images have been taken from pixabay