While this data on mood and vaccines is limited, many studies have shown that many other lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, and even social interactions, may influence how much you receive from vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine. This indicates that it may affect the degree of protection you receive.
Scientists are still trying to figure out how increased numbers of antibodies protect against actual disease. After all, some parts of the immune system play important roles in keeping us healthy, such as T cells. Still, for now, antibody The levels are a common measurement used by scientists trying to determine vaccine effectiveness, and “generally it correlates with protection,” he said. Marian Kohutan immunobiologist at Iowa State University.
Not all people respond to vaccines in the same way. Some people develop better antibody protection than others, but an unlucky few may fail the vaccination.
“The reactions caused by vaccines can vary widely from person to person,” he says. Bali Pulendran, an immunologist at Stanford University. Age is also part of the reason, he says. senior citizen They are generally less responsive than younger people.
Genetics also plays a role. the study For some vaccines, such as measles, twin rates indicate that almost 90 percent of the variation in antibody responses is due to genes (for other vaccines, these numbers are lower; e.g. In the case of mumps, genetic variation in antibody responses is 39%).
But even if you’re older and don’t win the genetic lottery, experts say you can increase your chances of responding well to the vaccine.
“Sleep is extremely important,” says Janice Kiecolt Glaser, professor emeritus of psychiatry at The Ohio State University School of Medicine. His research focuses on how stress and depression affect the immune and endocrine systems. “When I’m not sleeping, [impairing] your immune response. ”
a 2023 meta-analysis research shows that sleeping less than 6 hours can interfere with the immune system’s response to various vaccines.
in one experimentWhen volunteers slept just four hours a night for six days before vaccination, those who were sleep-deprived had only half the antibody response to the flu vaccine 10 days after the shot. As they wish.
This is why Kiecolt-Glaser recommends getting “a good night’s sleep, especially the night before, ideally a few days before, and getting a good night’s sleep after vaccination.”
Research shows that healthy intestinal flora plays an important role It’s about how well you respond to vaccination. A 2023 study found that people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine had higher abundances of beneficial gut bacteria associated with taking the vaccine. mediterranean diet — called Bifidobacterium adolescentis — Even 6 months after the second dose, the vaccine’s protection lasted longer. Other studies have also found a link between microbes known for keeping the gut healthy and a better response to the gut environment. cholera vaccine and tetanus vaccine.
On the other hand, antibiotics depletes the gut microbiomewhich can disrupt the immune response to vaccination, as Purendran and his colleagues found in their paper. 2019 survey.
After five days of antibiotics, he says, “the number of bacteria in the gut was reduced by 10,000 times.” As a result, “people who received antibiotics had a much lower antibody response to the influenza vaccine than the control group.”
For Purendran, this reduced efficacy of vaccines is “another reason” why antibiotics should not be prescribed indiscriminately.
The good news is that probiotics Strengthen your microbiomeinclude Bifidobacterium adolescentis, increases the level of antibodies produced after immunization. For example, in one influenza study, Lactic acid bacteria probiotics Twice-daily vaccination for 28 days after vaccination significantly increased antibody levels. For mouselactic acid bacteria supplements helped immune responses in rodents after COVID-19 vaccination, but it’s worth noting that the results in mice don’t necessarily translate to humans.
Purendran cautions that findings like these don’t mean you need to rush to your local store to stock up on probiotics.
“There is a bewildering variety of products out there,” he says, that have not been evaluated by science and of varying quality. This makes it difficult to assess what may increase the effectiveness of a particular vaccine.
Instead, Purendran says people should work on a long-term healthy gut microbiome through their diet. Rich in dietary fiberwhile avoiding processed food and added sugar.
In addition to sleep and diet, exercise appears to improve vaccine response in many people. Kiecolt Glaser said this is why she tries to time her workouts every year right before getting her flu or COVID-19 shot.
a 2022 meta-analysis suggest that a short period of exercise immediately before or after vaccination may increase the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine, especially in older adults.
Exercise arm For example, Kohut says doing bicep curls can be particularly beneficial. His research focuses on factors that influence the immune response to viral infections and vaccines. This type of “muscle-damaging exercise performed in the muscles where the vaccine is being administered can induce inflammation, and increased inflammation may improve the immune response to the vaccine.” she says.
You can also exercise reduce side effects According to a 2018 study, some people experience swelling at the injection site and fever after receiving the vaccine. And even a brisk walk for 45 to 90 minutes after getting the shot can boost the antibody response, Kohut said. research suggests.
Kohut said there are several theories as to why exercise improves immune function, including muscle-secreted proteins that influence immune responses and metabolites (compounds the body produces during metabolism). These include exercise-induced changes in the production of
But she admits that scientists still don’t fully understand the mechanisms linking exercise and vaccine effectiveness.
Similar to diet, research suggests that making exercise a permanent and regular part of your life is probably the most effective way to boost your antibody response to vaccines.
Large scale survey in 2023 For people who exercise regularly, coronavirus vaccines are more than 85% effective at preventing hospitalization, a study of health care workers found. But in sedentary people, meaning people who did less than 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, the vaccination was only 60 percent effective. (One note: People who exercise regularly may be eating and sleeping better.)
Exercise aside, if you’ve had a particularly stressful few days, especially if you’re not young, you may want to avoid scheduling a vaccination appointment at that time, Kiecolt-Glaser says.
“The older you get, the more important stress becomes for vaccine effectiveness,” she says.
key colt glazer the study In a study of elderly people (average age 73 years) who cared for a spouse with dementia, only 38% developed an antibody response to the influenza vaccine, compared to non-caregivers. Among the elderly, it was 66%.
Studies have found that strong social connections tend to increase responses to vaccines.
in One The report found that college freshmen (who had received their flu shot and were able to name at least 13 close friends and family members whom they see frequently) were more likely than their peers who reported having fewer close contacts. and produced significantly more antibodies after receiving the jab.
A similar effect is pneumococcal vaccine and covid shot —People with better social networks appear to have stronger antibody responses than those who are lonelier or have fewer connections.
Focusing on dealing with loneliness, nurturing relationships with neighbors, and improving your gut flora may be a little late in this winter vaccine cycle. But getting a good night’s sleep, avoiding vaccination on high-stress days and walking briskly after the jab could all be beneficial.
And if watching silly cat videos helps you relax and be happy right before the shoot, that might help too.