Strengthen your immune system for the cold months

It’s autumn, and the season of colds and flu is upon us again. Here are a few tips to help you strengthen your defences and enjoy a healthy autumn and winter.

With temperatures falling and the days getting shorter, it’s also the season for colds and flu. Our immune system is especially taxed by the combination of heated, poorly ventilated rooms and the cold and wet outdoors. To stay fit and healthy through the cold months of the year, it’s important to stimulate your immune system and strengthen your defences.

Fresh air

Oxygen gets your circulation going, so you should occasionally go for a walk in the fresh air. It’s also important to air out your home regularly to keep germs from gathering in the stale air.

Nutrition

A healthy diet is always a good thing, and especially important in the autumn and winter months. Strengthen your immune system by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables: vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin C) help improve your defences. Foods rich in fibre are also good because they stimulate the defence cells in your intestines.

Exercise

Despite the temptation in autumn and winter to make yourself cosy at home, you should also get enough physical exercise, as it stimulates the circulation and strengthens your immune system. It’s important to get light exercise on a regular basis. Don’t overdo it: too much sport can weaken your defences. You can easily combine exercise with the first tip by going jogging in the fresh air for half an hour several times a week.

Rest and relaxation

For a strong immune system it’s important to get your work-life balance right, as this allows you to reduce stress and experience the satisfaction of getting enough rest and recuperation. The positive effects of a good mood will also help strengthen your defences.

27.09.2023

In the event of further health-related questions, SWICA customers can contact the santé24 telemedicine service free of charge on +41 44 404 86 86. A telemedicine practice licence allows santé24 physicians to provide additional medical services in cases that are suited to a telemedicine approach. SWICA customers can also use the BENECURA medical app to carry out a digital SymptomCheck and receive recommendations about what to do next. During a subsequent phone call with santé24, customers can decide for themselves whether to release their information from SymptomCheck to santé24.