Thinking about how to boost your immune system? Wondering why do I keep getting sick?
You might not expect that calming a key immune system function—inflammation—might, in fact, be an immune system booster. As it turns out, experiencing recurrent illnesses and symptoms such as chronic body pain, ongoing fatigue, and gastrointestinal troubles fit a pattern associated with chronic inflammation, a “silent fire” that, when unchecked, can obstruct natural immunity and drive chronic diseases.
“Acute inflammation is essential to fight an infection or recover from a minor injury,” explains Elizabeth Ko, MD, FACP, ABOIM, of the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative. “However, chronic inflammation, which lingers quietly in the background, can slowly wear down your tissues and organs, playing a role in everything from arthritis to heart disease to cancer to decreased immunity.”
Studies confirm that low-grade, relentless inflammation—sometimes called “inflammaging”—is a unifying factor influencing how we age, our vulnerability to infection, and our risk for major illness. Learning how to temper chronic inflammation is crucial to aging well. What you do and don’t do, can make a significant difference.
Dr. Ko offers these tips on how to boost your immune system and quell inflammation.
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Sleep to Help Your Immune System
Dr. Ko is quite clear on the value of high-quality sleep: “Sleep is an essential part of the recovery and repair of both our body and mind. Poor-quality sleep is correlated with high IL-6 and CRP levels and disrupts cortisol balance. Poor sleep alters your circadian rhythm, changes cortisol production, and keeps blood vessels tense—all of which can trigger or sustain inflammation.”
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a substance made by immune cells when your body detects something wrong, like an infection or injury. If you have too much IL-6 for too long, it can keep your body’s inflammation “switched on,” contributing to problems like atherosclerosis, diabetes, tissue damage, and cognitive decline. C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced by the liver in response to inflammation. Doctors sometimes measure it to get a quick snapshot of how much stress or inflammation is present in the body.
Dr. Ko’s practical advice for improving sleep begins with exposure to morning light, preferably sunlight: “Just 10 minutes of morning sunlight resets your brain’s clock to promote steady energy and improve mood and deeper sleep.” Aim for a consistent wake time and a wind-down routine that avoids electronic screens and big meals before bed. These simple steps can start to lower stress hormones to help you sleep better and support your immune system.
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Make Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition an Immune System Booster
Nutrition is powerful medicine—for your immune system and your overall health. Dr. Ko advises avoiding “pro-inflammatory foods such as highly processed foods that contain refined carbs, sugars, and oils. It’s also best to avoid or limit red meat. If you do eat it, try to opt for organic, grass-fed varieties.”
A practical anti-inflammatory diet focuses on a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, which contain disease-fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients. Dr. Ko recommends getting ample soluble and insoluble fiber, and also adding fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and kombucha to your diet.
Soluble fiber mainly helps with cholesterol, blood sugar control, and feeling full, while insoluble fiber keeps your digestive system moving smoothly and prevents constipation. Most plant foods contain a mix of both fiber types, so eating a varied diet with fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains is a great way to get enough of each.
Fermented foods offer multiple proven health benefits, especially for gut health and inflammation. They are rich in probiotics, live bacteria that help maintain a healthy balance of microbes in your digestive tract. These “good” bacteria crowd out harmful bacteria, improving intestinal health, easing digestion, and supporting a strong gut barrier.
Lastly, Dr Ko highly advises cooking at home. Take a cooking class to learn how to make healthful dishes, try new recipes from Mediterranean-like diets, and plan your meals ahead of time to avoid grabbing junk food to quickly satisfy your hunger.
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Exercise (Outdoors) for Immunity
Movement is another critical tool for calming inflammation. “When you engage in physical activity, your muscles release special compounds called myokines, which have anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body,” Dr. Ko explains. “Exercise also helps reduce excess fat tissue, which is itself a source of inflammatory chemicals.”
She recommends blending “a combination of cardio, strength, and flexibility,” and getting outdoors and exposed to nature. “A two-hour walk among trees boosts your cancer-fighting natural killer cells, and just five minutes outdoors can lower stress hormones and restore focus more than coffee,” she says. Include in your weekly routine activities such as brisk walking, swimming, resistance training, yoga, or tai chi.
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Nurture Social Connection
One of the most overlooked aspects of immune health is social interaction.
“Social support boosts immune health, decreases pain perception, and helps regulate stress hormones,” Dr. Ko says. “Sharing meals, laughter, or simply taking a walk with others lowers markers of chronic inflammation and increases feelings of safety and belonging. Positive social interaction even reinforces healthy behavior patterns, making it easier to stick with exercise, nutritious eating, and new wellness routines.”
Consider joining walking groups, cooking with neighbors, friends and loved ones, participating in group exercise classes, or simply making time for meaningful conversations and outings. Social isolation is strongly linked to higher inflammation and greater health risks, while supportive connection makes it easier to maintain healthy routines that help bolster the immune system.
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Treat Stress Management as Essential Immune Care
If you’re constantly on the go, worrying about this and that, it’s time to dial it down. “Stress management is a crucial part of calming chronic inflammation and protecting your long-term health,” Dr. Ko emphasizes. “Over time, unmanaged stress accelerates aging, raises blood pressure, and drains your immune resilience.”
When you feel stress—especially if it’s constant or long-term—your body releases higher levels of stress hormones like cortisol. In short bursts, cortisol can help your immune system handle threats, but when stress drags on, levels of this hormone remain high, leading to problems. Chronic stress weakens the immune system, making you more likely to catch infections and heal slower from illness or injury.
Simple strategies for destressing include taking short walks outside, deep breathing, gentle stretching, listening to calming music, spending time with friends, or meditating for a few minutes each day. Just a few minutes of focused breathing or time outdoors can help reduce stress hormones and support your body’s natural repair systems. The key is regular practice.
Build Healthy, Repeatable Routines
Now that you know how to build your immune system, it’s time to put this advice into practice. Small habits, repeated daily, are especially powerful for someone looking to restore immune balance.
“Start with one or two small, repeatable changes, like morning light plus a short walk after your largest meal. Once those changes feel automatic, layer on additional steps, like a pre-bed relaxation practice or shifting from ultraprocessed snacks to a fruit-and-nut option,” Dr. Ko recommends.
She suggests creating a strong daily routine that anchors wake and sleep times, front-loading heavier meals earlier, keeping dinner lighter, and reserving evenings for quiet, screen-free time to support healthy rhythms. “These habits let your immune system ‘predict’ your day, which leads to better regulation on a cellular level,” Dr Ko says.
The science on inflammaging confirms that chronic inflammation and immune decline can be moderated. They respond to daily choices about sleep, nutrition, movement, stress, and connection. “The goal is not perfection,” Dr. Ko emphasizes. “It’s about creating a daily environment inside your body that makes it easier for healing to happen and harder for inflammation to stick around.”
