Stacey, while reading the temperature from the thermometer, was wondering why her son falls sick so often. She gives adequate heed to his diet and never misses his vaccination appointments; then why was her son’s immunity not catching up!
Today, this blog will try and decipher a few of such qualms of many distressed parents like Stacey. Through this article, we, at Excelsior American School, one of the most promising educational institutions in Haryana and ranked among the top schools in Gurgaon, will attempt to share some habits or patterns being followed by our kids, which are actually at fault and are the reasons behind their lower levels of immunity.
- Late to Bed, Early to Rise
Gone are the days when children followed the golden rule of ‘Early to bed, Early to rise.’ Today, our little ones are flanked by technology, gadgets, and connectivity from all horizons. Each task in an average student’s day is connected to the ‘smart’ quotient. Moreover, their daily schedule is totally jam-packed with school, extra-curricula, coaching classes, and whatnot! Hence at the end of the day, this fast-paced timetable allows only a little time for them to sleep, which eventually leads to tiredness, unruly behavior, anxiety, and behavioral meltdowns. All these further impacts their immunity levels.
- Screen Mania
Call it the need of the hour or just a fetish; today’s kids are fixated and glued to their screens! Homework assignments, project submissions, video games, and cartoon channels are all taken care of via the screens. But unfortunately, more screen time is affecting our kids’ immune systems. It is a science-backed theory named ‘screen apnea,’ which is actually a temporary cessation of the breath while sitting in front of a screen. Screen apnea alters the body’s delicate balance of gasses like nitric oxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen, which causes inflammation, and thus interferes with one’s immune system.
- Inadequate Nutrition
The lifestyle of kids today is like that of a robot, mechanized and structured. They don’t have time to give proper attention to their diet. And hence, quick, easier, and fast food has become their go-to option. However, this lack of a nutritious diet leads to impairing their metabolism, which thereby impacts the movement of the immunity cells as well as antibodies in the body.
- Inapt Hydration
Nature, as well as science, suggests a particular quantity of water to be consumed daily according to our ages. Enough hydration aids in better absorption of nutrients from the food, ensuring sufficient immunity. Also, water is necessary to flush out the toxins from our body and thus assists in combatting germs. However, it is observed, especially among the kids, that insufficient quantity of the daily consumption of water is creating chaos with our kids’ immunity.
- Introvert Attitude
Not all the children like to discuss/ share their thoughts, feelings, or experiences. But do you know keeping their feelings to themselves can take a toll on their mental as well as physical health in the long run, resulting in mental pressure! And as you may guess, when there is a rise in the stress level, the immunity level of our bodies naturally drops down.
- The Dearth of Outdoor Sport
It is high time that we save our kids from being couch potatoes and instead push them to the outdoors. First, they need to take up the active route; then, they can only reach the health and fitness benchmarks. They need to take up at least some sort of outdoor activity to boost up their immune levels. The reason behind it is that a lazy body cannot fully produce the cells that fight infections. This further results in weak immunity.
- Hygiene factor
Improper hygiene routines and inappropriate habits mean more germs, which further means inefficient immunity. It has been observed that the kids who do not put any effort into protecting and maintaining their immunity by not brushing teeth properly, not washing hands, keeping their nails dirty, etc., slowly become sure-shot warehouses of low immunity and frequent infections.
In the end, we, at Excelsior American School, positioned among the top schools in Gurgaon, would just like to quote here what Leo Tolstoy, the greatest of all novelists and authors, once said, “True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” By working on the poor habits and making minute changes here and there in the daily routines of the kids, their immunity levels can actually be elevated. With strong immunity, our kids wouldn’t just have the strength to fight infections but will also have the energy to perform well in life.
