The immune system serves as the army of the human body, with various defense mechanisms to combat threats such as bacteria and viruses. The stronger a person’s immunity, the more resilient to illnesses they will be. Unfortunately, there are times when a person’s immune system weakens due to a host of reasons: a lack of sleep, bad lifestyle habits, and consumption of non-nutritious food. Here are the signs of weak immune systems in people:

High levels of stress
Although short-term acute stressors can be beneficial for the body as they increase alertness and mental clarity during tense, fight-or-flight situations, chronic stress is harmful to one’s health.

Unfortunately, a weakened immune system increases the likelihood of chronic stress in people. In turn, chronic stress further debilitates one’s health through immune suppression and dysregulation. Frequent episodes of stress trigger auto-immune issues such as ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, and also flare-ups of allergic reactions like asthma and eczema.

Frequent sickness and longer recovery times
As implied earlier, the immune system fights viruses and infections with various components such as b-cells, killer-t cells, dendritic cells, and a host of white blood cells. When these components lose effectiveness, the body becomes more vulnerable to health issues like infections and illnesses. Moreover, as the immune system is not fighting at full capacity, people with such health conditions will take much longer to recover from them too.

Stomach issues
The digestive system is like a yardstick for one’s immune system, and both are closely linked. A significant portion of the immune system is located in the digestive tract, particularly the stomach. Therefore, any stomach-related or digestive issues such as flatulence, diarrhea, or constipation are the clearest indicators of immunity issues in people. This is especially true if these digestive problems do not disappear within a day or two (and persist for weeks).

Essentially, digestive problems stem from the fact that there are not enough healthy bacteria in the gut. Therefore, apart from consuming healthy, nutrition-filled food, one can also consult a healthcare professional to know what to do to restore the powers of their digestive and immune systems.

Perpetual fatigue
Sickness affects the flow of blood, nutrients, and oxygen to all parts of the body. So, critical organs such as the brain and lungs do not receive these elements to sustain themselves. As a result, people with immune problems tend to feel tired and out of breath most of the time. This is why someone with the flu will not have the energy to get out of bed in the morning. More worryingly, sleep is unlikely to help people when they feel tired due to their body’s defenses not being strong enough.

Fatigue is a common symptom of much bigger health issues too, which is why consulting a health expert is advisable when someone feels tired most of the time.

Slow-healing wounds
The immune system facilitates the healing of wounds through white blood cells and other components. When this system is undermined, people will not only suffer more rashes and wounds due to deteriorating skin health but also discover that those wounds are not healing quickly enough.

Besides these, another sign to look out for is a change in tongue color. A healthy tongue is pinkish red. If it turns unusually pale, it could indicate immune system imbalances, vitamin deficiencies, or a general lack of energy. Paying attention to the tongue’s color is vital to detect underlying health issues early and take the necessary steps to bolster the immune system.