FATIGUE, stress, unhealthy lifestyle, among others are the grave factors for depleting the immune system. However, unknown to you, some of your daily routine  could also be draining your energy.

* Chronic stress. One of the energy sappers is stress. It will not only ruin your mind and body but your immune system as well. More so if it is chronic and continuous. Ongoing stress suppresses circulation of immune cells, as well as inhibiting the activation of the immune response, which is a key to clearing viruses and bacteria.

A recent study at the Tel-Aviv University in Israel found that continuous stress can even disrupt the effectiveness of pharmacological and behavioral treatments designed to stimulate immune function. Get some meditation, yoga or deep breathing. Do it for  your peace of mind and your immune system.

* Obesity. Being overweight can wreak your immune system it’s because the body’s fat tissue produces hormones that activate the immune system’s inflammatory response. These elevated inflammatory substances can increase the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and other diseases. In a study at Tufts University, researchers had slightly overweight adults with elevated cholesterol levels go on a low-fat diet. After 12 weeks, the subjects lost weight, lowered their cholesterol and boosted their immune response.

* Repressed feelings. Research suggests that repressing the emotions can have a detrimental effect on immunity. Like stifling the feelings instead of actively coping with an ongoing crisis or frustration can strain the entire body, thus affecting the immune, cardiovascular, and hormonal system in negative ways.

Speak up and voice  out your feelings about upsetting issues in order to deal with the emotional stress. Writing or talking about an unresolved trauma helps one put the event into perspective, organize it, and ultimately get through it. You will later have a good sleep, feel and think better, and have richer social lives

* Poor sleep. According to studies, healthy women who get less sleep are slowly squashing natural killer cells, a type of white blood cells that defend against tumors and viral infections. Adequate sleep is also important for T-cell function. Too little sleep triggers elevated levels of cortisol, the stress hormone and triggers the inflammatory response, both of which compromise the immune system.

The inflammatory response is part of the immune system’s defenses against injury, helping to repair it. When it’s inadvertently triggered, it can actually cause tissue damage. So make sleep a priority. If you do lose sleep one night, make up for it with a midday nap.

* Noisy environment. When you easily get annoyed by loud noise or nauseating sounds, your immune system is getting annoyed also. Excess noise has long been recognized as a form of environmental stress aside from being nuisance. A research in Japan showed that chronic exposure to noise may suppress immune function on a cellular level, as well as antibody responses, which can increase your susceptibility to illnesses and infections. Try to turn down the volume in your life or wear ear plugs at bedtime.