How Stress Affects your Immune System

This time of year is when colds and flu start to run rampant. The decreasing daylight and Vitamin D levels, plus being stuck inside where germs can accumulate and circulate, make fall and winter the hardest seasons on your immune system. But there are things you can do to help keep your immune function high this winter. Eating right, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and taking supplements when needed can all help you stay healthy this winter. But one of the most detrimental things for your immune system is also one of the things we often ignore or don't think about when trying remedies to boost immunity.

Have you ever noticed that you tend to get sick more often when you’re stressed out?  Scientists have noticed this connection for a long time, but until recently they couldn’t explain it.  While a big project at work or the loss of a loved one isn’t going to give you the flu, it can decrease the functioning of your immune system and make you more susceptible to colds, the flu and other infections. 

It may surprise you, but very short term stress actually boosts the immune system.  Increased immune functioning is associated with the “fight or flight” response related to short term stress you know will end.  This is because our body is still trying to adapt to beat the stressor.  The problem with this is that a majority of our stress is continual over a long period of time - and this is where things get dicey and a number of health problems can result.

Regions of the brain affected by stress. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Long term stress is what actually decreases our immune functioning.  The worst kind of stress is not only long-term, but stress we think we can’t control or see an end to.  For example, while meeting a deadline at work may cause a decrease in our immune functioning; it’s probably not as bad as stress caused by a debilitating accident.  When we think the stressor is beyond our control and may never stop, our body feels it can’t cope with the stress and it begins to take its toll.  This kind of stress causes a drop in almost all immune functioning. 

For regular, long term stressors, the decrease in immune functioning becomes greater with time.  This means even if you feel you are in a position of control, long-term stress such as a job with high levels of responsibility and not enough help, can build up and gradually decrease your disease-fighting abilities.

Another important factor to consider when looking at the immune system and stress is that the decrease in immune system functioning is greater for people who are elderly or already sick.  This is likely why older people who are severely injured or have recently lost a loved one are much more likely to die within a year than those who haven’t had these circumstances. 

You may think, “Well, I’ll drop my stress level and I’ll be fine”.  However, studies have show that traumatic events can stick with us and affect our immune system long after the stressor is gone.  If a person was in an accident, was attacked, or experienced a traumatic loss, they can show decreased immunity even years later.  The best way to increase immunity in this case is to undergo treatment for the trauma. 

In addition to causing a decrease in immune system functioning, stress can also make you more susceptible to other long term diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.  If you want to maintain a healthy body, you should include activities and a proper diet that promote a less stressful lifestyle.

6 Healthy Benefits of Green Tea

While green tea has been used in Eastern cultures for over 4,000 years, only recently has it been recognized for its medicinal properties in Western culture. Here are just 6 of the many health benefits that green tea can provide. 

Vietnamese green tea leaves (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Protects your smile.  Green tea contains bacteria fighting agents that kill the help stop plaque production.  Less plaque means you have cleaner, healthier teeth and gums.  Another plus, it also kills the bacteria responsible for bad breath.
2. Helps prevent cancer.  EGCG is a powerful antioxidant found in many teas, but is present in much larger concentrations in green tea.  Antioxidants combat chemicals that are naturally produced in the body that can cause cancer and other health issues.  Studies have shown one substance in green tea can slow the growth of cancer cells.  While research hasn’t been done on every type of cancer, green tea has shown that it may reduce the risk of one cancer up to 60 percent.  It has also been shown it may reduce the recurrence of certain other cancers as well.
3. Promotes a health heart.  The EGCG in green tea has also been shown to lower total cholesterol levels.  Specifically, it lowers “bad” cholesterol more than it does “good” cholesterol.  EGCG also helps prevent against heart attack and stroke by inhibiting the production of blood clots.  Green tea also helps to lower levels of stress hormones in the body, leaving you more relaxed.  Being stressed out can cause damage to the heart along with the rest of your body.  Drinking green tea could help keep your heart beating a lot longer.
4. Boosts immune system function.  While green tea can help fight bacteria in your mouth, it can also help fight diseases in the rest of your body.  Green tea contains an amino acid that helps fight bacteria and improve the immune response in your body.  If you regularly drink green tea, you may find you get sick a lot less.
5. Eases/prevents rheumatoid arthritis pain.  Green tea is not only beneficial in easing the symptoms of this painful disease; it has also been shown to help prevent you from ever getting it.  In China, where more people drink green tea regularly, there is a much lower incidence of rheumatoid arthritis.  
6. Promotes weight loss.  When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, your body responds by producing a lot of insulin; leaving you tired and craving more food.  Green tea has been shown to help keep blood sugar at lower levels so you don’t produce as much insulin.  This can help you eat less and lose weight - and also may reduce chances of developing diabetes.  Studies have also found that green tea can speed up how fast your body metabolizes certain foods.  And the faster your metabolism, the faster you slim down. 

Green tea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While these are all great health benefits, you should realize that drinking green tea every so often is probably not going to make a big difference to your weight - and you may not see other drastic changes in your health either.  Many of the studies that produced results had participants drinking up to 10 glasses of green tea a day!  If you find you’re just can’t drink enough green tea, there are supplements available that are green tea based; however, the best option is the real thing, and even including a glass or two of green tea in your daily routine can benefit your health in many ways. 

Note: This blog is for informational purposes only, and does not provide or substitute for medical advice. One should consult one's medical care practitioner before adding green tea or any other dietary supplement to your diet.