Posted by Tia Miers
on May 24, 2026
Winter has a way of testing us. The mornings get darker, the motivation to move shrinks, the social calendar fills up with cosy dinners, and somewhere in the middle of all of it, our immune system is quietly working overtime.
After more than ten years in clinic as a naturopath, I can tell you that winter doesn't have to mean getting sick. The women who come through my practice who sail through the cold months tend to have a few key things in common and none of them involve popping endless supplements or doing green juice detoxes.
Immune support is about building a lifestyle that keeps your body resilient- consistently, not just when you feel a cold coming on. Here are my five favourite evidence-informed ways to support your immune system this winter.
1. Sweat It Out
The Immune-Boosting Power of Saunas If you've been eyeing off a sauna membership- consider this your sign. Regular sauna use is one of the most underrated tools for immune support, and the research behind it is genuinely compelling.
When your body is exposed to heat, your core temperature rises, mimicking the effect of a fever. This isn't a bad thing. It's actually one of your immune system's most powerful responses, stimulating the production of white blood cells and activating heat shock proteins that help repair cellular damage and fight off pathogens.
Studies have shown that regular sauna users experience significantly fewer common colds. Beyond the immune benefits, saunas support lymphatic flow (which helps clear toxins and immune waste from the body), reduce cortisol levels, and improve sleep quality, two other major factors in immune resilience.
Naturopath Tip: Aim for 2-3 sauna sessions per week, 15-20 minutes at a time. If you're new to it, start at a lower temperature and build up. Infrared saunas are a great option if you're sensitive to high heat
2. Eat Like Your Immune System Depends On It (Because It Does)
Your immune cells need fuel and not just any fuel. A diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods provides the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your immune system literally cannot function without.
Key nutrients for winter immunity include:
- Vitamin C: found abundantly in citrus, capsicum, kiwifruit, and broccoli. Supports the production and function of white blood cells.
- Zinc: found in pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lentils, and red meat. Essential for immune cell development and the body's inflammatory response.
- Vitamin D: we get most of ours from the sun, but in winter that can be limited. Fatty fish, eggs, and mushrooms are good dietary sources.
- Antioxidants: berries, leafy greens, dark chocolate, and green tea all help protect your immune cells from oxidative damage.
The tricky part? In winter, cooking inspiration can run low and that's when convenience food starts to creep in. Having a bank of go-to wholefood recipes makes all the difference.
3. Love Your Gut: Over 80% of Your Immune System Lives There
This is the one that tends to surprise people the most: more than 80% of your immune system is housed in your gut. That means the health of your digestive system is directly linked to how well your body can fight off illness, regulate inflammation, and recover when something does get through.
Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as your microbiome that play an active role in immune signalling. When your gut is in balance, these microbes help train your immune cells, produce protective compounds, and form a physical barrier against harmful pathogens.
When the gut is out of balance (known as dysbiosis), the immune system becomes dysregulated & it can overreact, underreact, or simply not perform the way it should. Signs of gut imbalance include bloating, irregular digestion, skin flare-ups, frequent illness, and persistent fatigue.
Winter is actually a perfect time to reset and rebalance your gut, especially after the indulgence of the holiday period. Focus on including:
- Fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha
- Prebiotic-rich foods like garlic, onion, leeks, asparagus, and oats
- Fibre from a diverse range of vegetables, legumes, and whole grains
- Reducing alcohol, refined sugar, and ultra-processed foods where possible
4. Be Mindful of Your Stress Levels
Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough: chronic stress is one of the most significant immune suppressors we know of.
When you're under stress, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that in short bursts is protective and helpful. But when cortisol remains elevated over time (as is the case with chronic stress), it actively suppresses immune function. It reduces the production of immune cells, dampens your body's inflammatory response, and slows your ability to recover.
For the high-achieving, always-on women I work with, stress is often so normalised that it doesn't even register as a problem, until the immune system starts waving a white flag.
You don't need to meditate for an hour every morning or suddenly become a yoga devotee (although if that's your thing, amazing). Stress management is about finding small, consistent practices that genuinely work for you, and building them into your routine.
Some simple, evidence-backed approaches:
- 10-minute walks in nature: even short bouts of green space exposure measurably reduce cortisol
- Breathwork: box breathing or a simple 4-7-8 technique can shift your nervous system out of 'fight or flight' in minutes
- Journalling: offloading mental load reduces rumination and anxiety
- Saying no: protecting your calendar is a health decision
- Sauna, again: yes, it makes the list twice because the cortisol-lowering effect is that significant
Naturopath Tip: The goal isn't zero stress, it's building your capacity to recover from it. Adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, Siberian ginseng, and rhodiola can also be really supportive here, speak to a naturopath about whether these are right for you
5. Prioritise Sleep Like It's Your Job
Sleep is not laziness. Sleep is immune medicine.
During sleep, your body produces and releases cytokines, proteins that help regulate immune responses and fight infection and inflammation. Consistently getting less than 7 hours of sleep has been shown to make you up to three times more likely to catch a cold when exposed to a virus. Let that sink in.
Sleep is also when your body does the bulk of its cellular repair, hormone regulation, and stress recovery. It's the non-negotiable foundation that makes everything else on this list actually work.
Practical ways to improve your sleep quality this winter:
- Protect your wind-down window: aim for at least 30-60 minutes of screen-free time before bed
- Keep your room cool and dark: the optimal temperature for sleep is around 18°C -20°C
- Consistent sleep and wake times anchor your circadian rhythm, even on weekends
- Limit alcohol in the evenings: it fragments sleep architecture and suppresses REM
- Magnesium glycinate in the evening can support deep, restorative sleep
Naturopath Tip: If you're waking between 2-4am regularly, this is often a sign of blood sugar instability or elevated cortisol- worth investigating with a naturopath.
The Takeaway Supporting your immune system this winter doesn't have to be complicated. It's about doing the fundamentals really well, consistently. Sweat regularly. Eat real food. Nurture your gut. Manage your stress. Sleep.
Start with one or two of these and build from there. Small, consistent actions compound into a genuinely resilient body and that's what we're here for.