You may have noticed that if you've ever experienced a stressful situation, you may fall sick afterward or wake up with a fever blister. While you may think that these two are unrelated, there may be a link. This article will take a closer look at the link between stress and the immune system and the steps that you can take to strengthen your immune system.
Your immune system plays a critical role in your health, protecting you from germs, viruses, bacteria, and other harmful substances that could make you sick. This system is quiet when balanced; however, you will notice your immune system when it is down and you fall ill.
The three main roles of your immune system are:
There are two different parts of the immune system: innate and adaptive. The innate immune system is also known as the non-specific immune system. This part of your immune system is a general defense and will fight pathogens and harmful substances using cells such as natural killer cells and phagocytes.
The adaptive immune system is also known as the specific immune system. This part will make proteins called antibodies that can fight certain germs, bacteria, and viruses that your body can come into contact with. This adaptive system will learn and adapt over time (1).
Your immune system activates when it recognizes something foreign. These are antigens, specific proteins found in pathogens, and harmful substances. If this is the first time your body has encountered an antigen, it stores information about it and how to fight it. If the antigen occurs a second time, your body recognizes it and can fight it faster (1).
Many different factors can weaken your immune system. These include:
Whilst many are aware of the effects of smoking, alcohol, and poor nutrition on the immune system, some factors, such as the link between poor mental health, stress, and the immune system, may be more surprising.
Mental health conditions such as depression can affect your immune system by increasing inflammation in your body. Additionally, these conditions can also increase your production of cortisol, increasing the effects of stress on your body. The link between stress and the immune system may then come into play.
During experiences of stress, your adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones help your body to respond to the stress by suppressing your immune system. While this can be beneficial for your body for short periods, if the stress persists and becomes chronic, your adrenal glands produce high cortisol levels and further suppress your immune system, which can start to dysregulate your innate and adaptive immune systems. This can then increase inflammation and reduce the amount of immunoprotective cells (2). When this happens, the risk of illness increases. There is a link between stress and the immune system, and a cycle can occur. Stress will weaken the immune system, which increases the risk of illness; the illness will then put further stress on your body.
With chronic stress, over time, your adrenal glands will eventually become depleted of cortisol. This will then cause low levels of cortisol and the beginning of adrenal fatigue. This is a condition where the body cannot keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various nonspecific symptoms such as tiredness, sleep disturbances, anxiousness, and weight gain.
Adrenal fatigue can affect a system within your body: the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System. This system consists of six different circuits and helps to support your body during stress. However, imbalances can occur within the system, and one of the circuits that can become affected is your inflammation circuit.
This circuit helps to regulate and maintain the balance of inflammation in your body. Your immune system, gastrointestinal tract, and gut microbiome are in charge of this circuit. Imbalances within this circuit can reduce the health of these organs and systems, and inflammation can start to increase and persist.
This can cause various systems, including aches and pains that travel throughout the body, frequent sickness, food sensitivities, and the activation of mast cells. These are immune cells, and when activated, they release histamine, which can cause hives. The link between stress and the immune system needs to be addressed to relieve these symptoms.
If you are concerned that your stress is affecting your immune system, there are multiple things you can do to address the link between stress and the immune system. One way to do this is to address the root cause of your stress and calm and strengthen your immune system.
This is a great way to help reduce stress and calm and strengthen your immune system. Poor nutrition is one type of stressor to your body. Reducing the frequency of refined carbohydrates and foods high in sugar may help reduce stress on your body. Additionally, increasing your intake of unrefined carbohydrates and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables will help provide nutrients that may help address the link between stress and the immune system.
These nutrients include:
These vitamins and minerals can help to regulate the response of cortisol and may help to prevent the effects of cortisol on the immune system. These nutrients are also antioxidants and may help enhance your immune system and reduce inflammation. These help reduce inflammation by neutralizing the free radicals produced in response to stress. A high amount of free radicals can increase the inflammation in the body; thus, reducing them will help to reduce inflammation and may help to reduce symptoms of high inflammation (3).
During stress, your gut health can decline, resulting in many consequences, including:
Improving gut health can help to boost your immune system directly by improving the gut barrier, reducing inflammation and indirectly improving the availability of nutrients available in food sources (3). Additionally, through the gut-brain axis, your gut health can influence your mental health and stress. Studies suggest that enhancing your gut health can help improve mood and stress. This can then further help to boost your immune system.
It's important to include both probiotics and prebiotics in your diet, as the prebiotics will help maintain and promote probiotics growth within your gut. Food sources of probiotics include:
Food sources of prebiotics can be found in most fruits and vegetables.
Your gut microbiome is also part of the inflammation circuit in your NEM system. If you are currently experiencing adrenal fatigue and an imbalance within this circuit, improving your gut health and enhancing your immune system can help relieve symptoms.
Whilst good quality nutrition is important, supplementation may also help provide a higher amount of nutrients consistently and can provide nutrients that you may not receive from food.
There are a range of supplements that can help reduce stress and enhance your immune system. Adrenal Cordyzyme by Dr. Lam is one supplement that may help. This supplement contains Cordyceps, a fungus, and digestive enzymes that may help improve the digestion and absorption of Cordyceps.
The research on cordyceps's effects on health is promising. This fungus contains numerous compounds that help to strengthen the immune system. It may help to stimulate the immune system and increase the production of various immune proteins and cells. Additionally, it contains antioxidant properties that may help regulate inflammation in the body and improve aspects of vascular health. This can help when the relationship between stress and the immune system is active (4).
This supplement contains Cordyceps sinensis, one of the most studied forms of Cordyceps. It's available in capsule form, and the recommended dosage is one capsule two to three times a day.
When you sleep, not only are you recharging your body physically, but you are also helping your immune system. During sleep, your body produces immune proteins such as cytokines and white blood cells. These help to regulate inflammation in your body and help to fight infection. Additionally, poor sleep does increase cortisol levels, thus strengthening the link between stress and the immune system. Getting adequate sleep can help to reduce stress on your body. The sleep recommendations for adults will depend on various factors; however, it is recommended that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night.
There are many benefits of exercising. During physical activity, endorphins are released; these are feel-good hormones that can help reduce feelings of stress and depression. Additionally, research shows that moderate-intensity exercise can help modulate your immune system and benefit your immune defense (5). If you are currently experiencing adrenal fatigue, high-intensity exercise may place extra stress on your body. Here, gentle exercise such as restorative yoga and walking can be beneficial.
This may seem like an unusual way to improve your immune system, but it is important. With high-intensity, fast-paced jobs, and many other responsibilities, many people forget to relax. Without relaxation, stress can increase and persist, affecting your immune system.
Relaxation can help move your body from a state of stress, reducing cortisol levels and thus improving your immune system. Relaxation will differ for everyone; for some, it may be practicing meditation and breathwork. For others, it may be exercising, and for some, it may be doing a hobby such as gardening or reading.
It is important to do something that you enjoy. If you don't know your hobbies, try a few and see if you like them. Suppose you aren't sure how to incorporate relaxation into your busy life. In that case, you can try small steps by scheduling five minutes in your diary and, if possible, gradually increase it over time.
While there is a link between stress and the immune system, it is complex and can be addressed to break the cycle. The strategies that can be used to break this cycle include:
These strategies, while effective on their own, can be more effective when combined. If you are unsure how to incorporate them into your life and would like advice on how to do this, our team can assist. You can call us at +1 (626) 571-1234 for a free initial consultation.
Reap The Benefits Of Cordyceps
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). “In Brief: How Does the Immune System Work?” InformedHealth.org - NCBI Bookshelf, 6 June 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279364.
Dhabhar, Firdaus S. “Effects of Stress on Immune Function: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful.” Immunologic Research, vol. 58, no. 2–3, May 2014, pp. 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-014-8517-0.
Patani, Anil, et al. “Harnessing the Power of Nutritional Antioxidants Against Adrenal Hormone Imbalance-associated Oxidative Stress.” Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 14, Nov. 2023, https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1271521.
Das, Gitishree, et al. “Cordyceps Spp.: A Review on Its Immune-Stimulatory and Other Biological Potentials.” Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. 11, Feb. 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.602364.
Du, Feijiao, and Cuicui Wu. “Review on the Effect of Exercise Training on Immune Function.” BioMed Research International, vol. 2022, July 2022, pp. 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9933387.
There are many ways in which to address the link between stress and immune system, the length of time necessary to break this cycle will depend on multiple factors including how long you have been experiencing stress and the root cause of it.
