Most people think of inflammation as swelling or heat surrounding injured parts of the body. It’s what happens when you stub your toe or graze your knee. The immune system shuttles a bunch of chemical messengers to the location of the injury, telling the surrounding tissue to blow up like a balloon to fight off infection.
Inflammation, though, can take another form. Many people have low levels of chronic inflammation across their entire bodies. And this version is more insidious. In the short term, it’s beneficial, but over the long-run, it does colossal damage.
Inflammation is such an important determinant of health that scientists have coined the term “inflammaging.” It’s the idea that inflammation at the cellular level drives the aging process itself, causing cells to behave as though they’re older.
So what can you do to reduce inflammation and sort your health?
Eat Salads Daily
Eating a salad every day might sound like a chore, but that’s because most of us have them wrong. Salads aren’t just a pile of leaves: they’re a mixture of vegetables in whatever format you like. Warm salads are especially delicious.
When you prepare a salad, be sure to include plenty of colorful vegetables. The more varieties you can include – and the brighter they are – the greater the effect of the salad on your health.
Go To Bed Early
Did you know that the time you go to bed affects the level of inflammation in your body?
If you go to bed late, you kick your body clock out of whack, causing elevations in inflammatory compounds. That’s one of the reasons you so often wake up looking puffy in the morning.
Not getting enough sleep for your lifestyle can also have deleterious effects on your health. Getting five hours, for instance, isn’t sustainable for most people. And it can lead to elevated stress and inflammation the next day. If you want to reduce inflammation, you need to get more sleep!
Go To Your Dentist
Your mouth is one of the major sources of inflammation in your body. Bacteria get in between and underneath your teeth, provoking an inflammatory response in an attempt to get rid of them. Unfortunately, the immune system isn’t 100 percent effective, so the bacteria return, provoking the inflammatory response anew.
To reduce inflammation, go to your dentist regularly. They’ll clean your teeth, get rid of any infections, and help you prevent them from coming back in the future. Many offices offer same-day dentistry, meaning you don’t even have to wait.
Take The Dog For A Walk
Research shows that taking the dog for a walk can dramatically cut inflammation throughout the body. It’s not just the exercise, but also the fact that dogs have a remarkable ability to make us feel peaceful. Just their presence seems to calm us down on a physiological level, allowing us to enjoy our lives more.
If you don’t have a dog, another great way to calm down and get some exercise is yoga or Xtend Pilates. Did you know CBD can help too?
Be Kind To Your Gut
Lastly, try to take care of your gut. Eat plenty of prebiotics, such as onions and green veggies. And make sure that you avoid the foods that disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria, such as sugars and trans fats. Be sure to take a good-quality probiotic every day to keep your gut flora in balance which can help with weight loss, bloating, and more. Elevate your supplement routine with the TriPlex Combo from Plexus to reduce inflammation and achieve ultimate gut health.
