The rules of science for an anti-stress summer

Those who are already on vacation try it. Those who are working anxiously await their well-deserved rest. Everyone, even if in the constant presence of the daily bulletins on Covid-19 and with the anxiety of the Indian variant, we keep in mind the importance of following the rules but we yearn for the right relaxation. And our hormones also regulate themselves accordingly, trying to leave behind the stress of so many months of tension.

How to behave, then? Here are the advice of the experts of the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE), a few days before the Congress of the Scientific Society itself.

Kissed by the sun

We take advantage of the holiday for boost our immune system and make it more efficient, taking advantage of the action of hormones that the body tends to produce more in the summer.

How? It takes at least 30 minutes a day of sun exposure correctly, in fact it is enough to recharge with the right dose of vitamin D, a hormone that positively modulates the immune response. The same happens by giving away at least eight hours of sleep a night, possibly with the help of melatonin which is being evaluated as a possible anti-Covid-19 hormone.

Even taking a break from work and indulging in well-deserved relaxation lowers the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, strengthening the immune defenses; exercising for 30 minutes, finally, involves the production of myokines, released by the muscle that improve metabolism, reduce inflammation and help you stay healthy.

Let’s start with the sun. With a correct daily exposure of at least 20 minutes the ideal amount of this vitamin is guaranteed, which is in fact an immunomodulatory hormone and which numerous researches indicate able to help against Covid-19: a study on JAMA Network Open has recently shown that a Vitamin D deficiency doubles the risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, a research on the geographic distribution of coronavirus mortality has correlated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency with more deaths and a UK experimentation on 6000 people to verify the effects of a vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and protection from Covid-19.

“Vitamin D it is important to regulate the functioning of the immune system and, for example, to prevent the exaggerated reactions that lead to the inflammatory cytokine storm that clinical evidence has among the main responsible for the worsening of the disease – explains Annamaria Colao, president-elect SIE. Vitamin D supplementation in deficient individuals has previously been recognized to lower the risk of respiratory tract infections.

However, it is essential to distinguish who has a deficit and who does not, because only in the first case the supplements, indicated by the specialist on the basis of a specific deficiency and ascertained by a blood test, make sense and are useful. Taking do-it-yourself supplements is not recommended and can carry the risk of overdose; On the other hand, being exposed to the sun during the holidays is a good way to guarantee the right amount of vitamin D in a simple and pleasant way “.

And have a good rest

An adequate sleep in terms of duration and quality protects the immune system: it has been shown that even after only one night of partial sleep deprivation, with a rest of just 4 hours, there is an increase in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and a reduction in activity of natural killer cells, the lymphocytes that recognize euvirus infected cells.

“During the holidays, therefore, it is advisable to ensure the right amount of sleep without excesses in the small hours – recommends the expert. In addition to worsening immune responses, lack of sleep is also linked to endocrine and metabolic imbalances, for example to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes.

At least on vacation it is therefore advisable to try to recover and sleep at least seven, eight hours a night, if necessary with the help of the sleep hormone, melatonin: this hormone, which is produced in the dark and promotes falling asleep, is also studying for its possible anti-Covid effects because it appears to protect against infection.

However, these are very preliminary data, so any integration must be decided together with the doctor without resorting to a ‘preventive’ do-it-yourself, but only to improve rest in situations where the caregiver deems it useful “.

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