Nurturing Your Immune System Through Gut and Hormone Health
Your immune system is your body’s built-in defence team. Always working to protect you from infections, calm inflammation, and keep your body in balance. But your immune system doesn’t work alone as it’s deeply connected to your gut and your hormones, which means your daily choices can make a big difference in how resilient and strong you feel.
In this post, we’ll explore how these systems work together and what you can do every day to support them.
Your Gut: The Immunity Control Centre
About 70% of your immune system lives in your gut. So wild! Your digestive system isn’t just about breaking down food; it’s home to trillions of bacteria that help regulate immunity.
When you have balanced gut bacteria, you’ll find:
The immune system responds appropriately to circumstances that occur (e.g. not overreact or underreact).
You have reduced inflammation.
Nutrients are absorbed as they should be, and your body is able to defend itself.
When things get out of balance through stress, poor sleep, processed foods, or overuse of antibiotics, the immune system’s defensive barrier weakens. You might notice you get sick easily, you feel fatigued or have ongoing digestive issues that are beyond the norm.
Hormones: The Messengers That Guide Immunity
Hormones send messages from one system to another. Cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormones, and insulin all influence your immune system e.g.
High stress and cortisol spikes can suppress your immunity, leaving you more vulnerable.
Fluctuations in estrogen can change how your immune system responds (some women feel more run-down before their period).
Thyroid health plays a crucial role in maintaining strong energy and metabolism, which in turn supports immune resilience.
When hormones are balanced, your immune system tends to be more stable and responsive. When they’re out of balance, you might feel run-down, inflamed, or constantly “on edge.”
How Gut, Hormones, and Immunity Are Connected
Think of your gut, hormones, and immune system as a three-legged stool. If one wobbles, the whole thing isn’t going to be so stable e.g.
Stress (hormones) can disrupt your digestion (gut), which weakens immunity.
An imbalanced gut can interfere with how you metabolise and balance hormones, which can make you feel run down (amongst other things).
Chronic low immunity can lead to inflammation, which further stresses both the gut and hormones.
But on the other hand, because they are all connected, supporting one system often benefits the others as well!
Everyday Habits to Strengthen Your Immune System
Here are a few simple ways you can look after your gut, hormones, and therefore, immunity, daily:
1. Eat for Your Gut
Include a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables (fibre feeds your good bacteria).
Add fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kefir for natural probiotics.
Focus on whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible (80/20 is a good general rule).
2. Prioritise Restful Sleep
Sleep is when your body repairs and restores. Aim for 7–9 hours most nights,
Try to keep a consistent sleep routine.
3. Manage Stress Gently
Chronic stress weakens immunity. Try daily practices like yoga, walking outdoors, deep breathing, or journaling to reset your stress hormones.
4. Support Hormone Balance Through Movement
Choose a movement that energises rather than depletes you.
Strength training, gentle cardio, and restorative practices like yoga or stretching can all support hormone and immune health.
5. Stay Hydrated
Your body needs water for every system to function well, including immune defences. Keep a water bottle nearby and sip consistently.
If you sweat a lot through exercise or climate, add electrolytes (you can make with salt and lemon mixed in your water rather than buying expensive powders often full of sugar).
Your immune system isn’t just about fighting off colds; it’s about creating long-term resilience, balance, and energy in your body. By caring for your gut and supporting your hormones, you’re giving your immune system the foundation it needs to protect you.
You don’t need to change everything at once. Start with one or two habits that feel easy! It is always the small changes done consistently that help the most.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If this resonates with you and you’re ready to go deeper into gut and hormone health, I’d love to stay connected. I share more tips, practical advice, and encouragement in my email newsletter; it’s the best way to keep learning and feel supported on your health journey.
Join my email list below and start receiving tools to help you build balance from the inside out.
With love and balance, my Friends x
