5 simple ways to protect your immunity this season

Your immune system isn't a switch you flip when you feel a cold coming on — it's the cumulative result of how you sleep, eat, move and manage stress over weeks and months.

Sleep is the single most underrated lever. Adults who consistently get fewer than six hours a night are markedly more likely to catch the viruses they're exposed to. Protecting a regular sleep window does more than any supplement on the shelf.

Movement matters too: moderate activity most days improves immune surveillance, while staying hydrated keeps the mucosal barriers that trap pathogens working as they should.

Finally, don't underestimate routine vaccination and simple hand hygiene. They remain the most evidence-backed tools we have — and they're free.