There’s never a bad time to try to give your immune system extra support, and that includes while you’re already sick. It might seem redundant to some people to try to give it extra support after you’ve already been infected, but even while you’re sick, your immune system is still working hard to tackle the existing illness and prevent any other ones from sprouting up, so it’s important to keep it healthy.
The first thing you should do is continue following almost all of your existing immune-supporting practices. This means continuing to eat healthily and maintain good hygiene, but you can skip out on things like going to the gym if you feel like you might be contagious.
If you’re sick, it doesn’t mean that those practices have failed, it just means that something slipped past. If you don’t already practice a lot of immune-system improving things, then there are plenty of ones that you can start doing even though you’re already sick.
For example, you can start taking additional immune system supplements like zinc. These supplements will help your immune system strengthen up so that it can reduce the severity and duration of your symptoms.
You should also be sure to get a lot of rest during this time. When you get sick, the last thing that you want to do is push yourself. Instead, you want to let your immune system take over and do its thing uninterrupted.
You shouldn’t go out and work hard at the gym or have a wild night out with your friends - just stay at home and get a lot of sleep. Your body is able to focus more of its attention on taking out the virus or infection while you’re resting, making the illness pass quicker.
One of the most important things that you can do while you’re sick for other people is to not spread whatever it is that you have. The last thing you want to do is run around coughing without covering your mouth or contaminating other people’s things, resulting in them getting it, too.
Keep your hands washed thoroughly and avoid too much contact whenever possible. Keeping your immune system healthy is very important when you’re sick. You can imagine that your immune system and the disease are in a hard fight, and by supporting your immune system, you’re giving it the advantage in the fight. The end result is a faster recovery for you with fewer symptoms.