How Meditation can Boost Your Immune System
T-cells, Killer cells and Cytokines, oh my!
If you’re stuck at home for a little while due to social distancing, why not take up some new hobbies? Meditation is not only great for relaxation, but it turns out it’s also great for your immune system too.
Inflammation is not your friend — but meditation is
Chronic stress weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and other nasty stuff. We all know that eating healthy and getting enough sleep can help to offset some of that, but meditation is linked to an increase in cytokines, which play an essential role in the immune system response.
One of the ways that the immune system responds to stress is through inflammation. Inflammation can be a helpful early response to injury or infection (think of the swelling that occurs when you get a cut). This inflammation is caused by proteins known as pro-inflammatory cytokines.
A little inflammation is good, but chronic inflammation, which comes from chronic stress, is bad. It weakens the immune system, leading to inflammatory illnesses like arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome, and increasing your risk for type-2 diabetes and heart disease.
