Ways You Can Boost Your Immune System to Help Prevent a Dry Cough

How to increase immunity against colds and coughs

With symptoms like disrupted sleep and throat irritation, it’s easy to see why the effects of dry coughs are no fun. And while there's a lot you can do to help manage symptoms, staving them off in the first place is even better. There's no surefire way to completely prevent a dry cough, but strengthening your immune system can be a powerful step in the right direction.

Eat a Healthy Diet

If you are looking to help protect yourself against a cough and quench your appetite at the same time, look into healthier food choices. Try replacing heavily processed, fatty and sugary items such as fast food and sodas, with whole foods. Foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes/beans and whole grains contain phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are associated with a lower risk for disease. Yogurt containing “live and active cultures” may help, too. In fact, studies have shown that eating a daily serving of common yogurt containing probiotics for eight or 12 weeks lowered the risk of the common cold in elderly people by two to six percent by stimulating the immune system.

Get Enough Sleep

If you want to cough less, consider snoozing more. Research published in the journal Sleep in 2012, showed that severe sleep loss triggered the immune system in participants, affecting the body the same way as sudden stress. When a person suffers from chronic stress, it can cause a weakened immune system and make it tougher to resist and fight off colds. While people's needs vary, the National Sleep Foundation has found that adults typically need 7 to 9 hours of snoozing per night. Depending on their age, kids usually need 8 to 11 sleep hours.

Move More, but Not Too Much

If you want to help prevent getting a cold and cough, consider getting some exercise. Routine moderate exercise like walking, biking or swimming, may help reduce the risk of infections. However, you shouldn’t go overboard because intense physical training can have the opposite effect, making colds and other infections more likely. For overall health and to help boost your immune system, you should get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise five days per week, or 25 minutes of intense exercise at least three days per week. Getting more than 300 minutes of moderately-intense cardio per week (without going overdoing it) can invite even greater health effects. Try mixing up your work outs by incorporating strength-training activities like weightlifting or Pilates into your normal cardio routine.

Once You Have A Dry Cough

Most everyone deals with a dry cough on occasion. When symptoms arise, take steps to ease them. Start by taking an over-the-counter medication like Delsym® Adult 12 Hour Cough Relief for up to 12 hours of symptom relief. If you have a dry cough that seems to only get worse as you get ready for bed, consider the nighttime variety like Delsym® Cough+ Cold Night Time medication. Along with taking an OTC, remember to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water, broth or by eating foods with high water content like oranges. (Another plus: oranges are high in vitamin C content). To help relieve your symptoms, invest in a humidifier to moisten the air you breathe in. And always, try to keep from spreading a cough and cold to others by practicing good hygiene and cover your mouth when coughing.

Summary

Eating a healthier diet, getting plenty of rest and staying active may help strengthen your immune system, making a dry cough less likely.

References

• Harvard Health Publications: How to Boost Your Immune System
• Journal of Cereal Science; Whole Grain Phytochemicals and Health
• British Journal of Nutrition; Reducing the Risk of Infection in the Elderly by Dietary Intake of Yoghurt Fermented with Lactobacillus Delbrueckii Ssp. Bulgaricus OLL1073R-1
• National Yogurt Association: Live & Active Culture Yogurt
• Sleep; Diurnal Rhythms in Blood Cell Populations and the Effect of Acute Sleep Deprivation in Healthy Young Men
• BBC: How Does the Body Fight Off a Virus?
• The Journal of the National Sleep Foundation; National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Time Duration Recommendations: Methodology and Results Summary
• Journal of Sports Sciences; The BASES Expert Statement on Exercise, Immunity, and Infection
• American Psychological Association: Stress Weakens the Immune System
• NCBI: Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry
• American Heart Association: American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?
• Delsym.com: 12 Hour
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Common Colds: Protect Yourself and Others
• Mayo Clinic: Warm-Mist Versus Cool-Mist Humidifier: Which is Better for a Cold?