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Prioritize Balanced Sleep

Sleep is critically important to the immune system. Studies have shown that when animals are completely deprived of sleep, they suffer a total loss of immune function—resulting in death.8 In humans also, sleep deprivation severely compromises immunity. For example, studies have linked sleep deprivation to an increased risk of cancer as well as a reduction in the immune system’s ability to slow the growth of cancer cells.9 If sleep is a challenge area for you, you might be interested in our health guide, An Ayurvedic Guide to Balanced Sleep. Otherwise, try to go to bed and get up at about the same times each day, and aim to sleep for about eight hours each night.

Minimize Stress

Managing stress is an important health topic in its own right. That said, excess stress is extremely detrimental to our immune response because stress hormones very effectively suppress the immune system—reallocating vital resources in order to ensure our immediate survival. Therefore, reducing your exposure to stressful situations will undoubtedly preserve ojas and bolster your immune system.

Adopt a Supportive Daily Routine

Our human physiology is very much adapted to—and supported by—some sense of regularity. Ayurveda recommends a daily routine for everyone. However, because it helps to calm the nervous system and relieve stress, focusing on a routine can be a particularly potent means of preserving immunity and protecting ojas. Making even a modest commitment to routine gives our nervous systems a number of reassuring reference points throughout each day, signalling the system that all is well, that we can be at ease. Over time, this context of predictability and safety encourages the nervous system to relax, reduces stress, encourages rejuvenation, and helps to preserve immune function. The very first steps in establishing a daily routine are quite simple. Try to awaken, eat your meals, and go to bed at about the same times each day. If possible, you can also maintain a consistent work or activity schedule. This level of consistency alone can be powerful; adding self-care or mindfulness practices will offer an even deeper level of support. If you are drawn to the idea of an Ayurvedic daily routine, please visit our Daily Routine Department, which explores this concept in depth, and offers personalized daily routine recommendations for different constitutions and imbalances.

Get Appropriate Exercise

Proper exercise helps to release accumulated tension, move stagnant mental and emotional energy, and improve circulation. It also kindles agni (which is essential to optimal health), improves digestion, bolsters the body’s detoxification mechanisms, encourages proper elimination, promotes relaxation in the body, and supports sound sleep—all of which serve to protect ojas and support the immune system. However, improper exercise can actually be quite damaging, and can compromise immunity. Ayurveda offers the unique perspective that the type, duration, and intensity of exercise that is most supportive for each of us depends largely on who we are as individuals. Ayurveda is a holistic approach to life, and most people benefit enormously from following its principles.