While inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury and infection, it can throw the immune system off balance and begin targeting healthy tissues when it becomes chronic. Chronic inflammation has been linked to a range of health concerns, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. And while genetics and medications can influence inflammation, daily habits play a major role as well. What you eat, how you move, how well you sleep, and how you manage stress all directly affect your body’s inflammatory response. Here are seven habits worth adopting to help keep inflammation in check.
Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods, which often contain added sugars and trans fats, can cause rapid glucose spikes that trigger oxidative stress and ramp up inflammation in the body. “These foods also contribute to increasing LDL cholesterol levels in the blood and a reduction in the amount of HDL cholesterol,” says preventive medicine physician Dr. Olabisi Badmus, MD, MPH, referring to the so-called “bad” and “good” cholesterols. She points out that processed foods are also typically low in fiber, which plays a key role in supporting gut health. Acting as a prebiotic, fiber feeds the good gut bacteria that produce compounds known to help reduce inflammation. “Diets that lack fiber can potentially contribute to inflammatory conditions of the digestive system, such as inflammatory bowel disease,” Dr. Badmus says. Over time, regularly eating processed foods may also increase the risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease.
If your diet leans heavily on processed foods, consider swapping out one processed item at a time and keeping healthier snack options on hand. “Leafy greens and berries are all rich in antioxidants, which can serve as anti-inflammatory agents,” Dr. Badmus says. “Walnuts and fish like salmon are also rich in omega-3s, which have anti-inflammatory properties.”
Avoid Excessive Alcohol Consumption
If you drink socially, Dr. Badmus recommends keeping it to no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. That’s because alcohol activates immune cells in the liver, which can lead to chronic inflammation both in the liver and throughout the body. “The metabolism of alcohol produces acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species. These molecules damage cells and tissues, triggering immune responses and amplifying inflammation,” Dr. Badmus says. “Alcohol-induced inflammation is also linked to cardiovascular disease, neuroinflammation, pancreatic inflammation, and exacerbation of autoimmune disease.”
Get Adequate Sleep
Since your natural circadian rhythm helps regulate immune function and inflammation, not getting enough sleep can throw things off balance. “Irregular sleep-wake cycles disrupt this rhythm, leading to misalignment in the timing of immune responses and increasing baseline inflammation,” Dr. Badmus says. “Poor sleep also elevates cortisol, which is a stress hormone that can be pro-inflammatory.”
Dr. Badmus recommends aiming for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night. If your sleep schedule is all over the place, one helpful first step is to stick to a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. “Start with waking up at a consistent time, even on the weekends,” she says. “This helps to anchor your body’s rhythm and makes it easier to fall asleep at night.”
Move Your Body Daily
Whether it’s strength training or low-impact aerobic movement like walking, cycling, or swimming, the goal is to get moving most days of the week. Internal and lifestyle medicine physician Dr. Allison Buttarazzi, MD, says just 20 to 30 minutes is enough to help lower inflammation. “Resistance training helps lower levels of inflammation by improving insulin sensitivity, reducing visceral fat, and increasing lean muscle mass, which in turn releases anti-inflammatory substances,” she says.
Low-impact cardio also helps by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers stress hormones like cortisol. If the idea of carving out time to exercise daily feels overwhelming, Dr. Buttarazzi suggests starting by weaving movement into your day. March in place while returning text messages or do calf raises while waiting for your coffee to brew. “Tiny habits add up,” she says.
Maintain Strong Social Connections
“Social isolation is a major risk factor for chronic inflammation and has been linked to increased levels of inflammatory markers such as CRP,” says concierge physician Dr. Pooja Gidwani, MD, MBA. Over time, chronic inflammation can lead to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, a weakened immune system, and even early death. “Loneliness is a physiological stressor as much as it’s a psychological burden,” Dr. Gidwani says.
On the flip side, Dr. Buttarazzi explains that strong, meaningful relationships can help bring inflammation levels down by reducing stress hormones like cortisol and norepinephrine. “Connection also promotes oxytocin, known as the bonding or love hormone, which is also thought to lower inflammation,” she says. “The quality of social interactions is more important than duration, but regular, consistent connection is key.”
Spend Time in Nature
Both green spaces, like parks or forests, and blue spaces, like oceans, lakes, or rivers, offer benefits that help calm the nervous system while reducing stress hormones and key inflammatory markers over time. “Spending time in nature helps calm the body’s stress response by lowering activity in the sympathetic nervous system, or the ‘fight or flight’ mode that’s linked to increased inflammation,” Dr. Gidwani says. “It can also regulate cortisol levels and increase movement, all of which are directly linked to inflammatory signaling.”
Research shows that spending at least 120 minutes per week in nature is linked to better overall health and well-being. “To make that more manageable, I recommend breaking it into 20 to 30-minute sessions, three to five times a week,” Dr. Gidwani says. This helps people stay consistent while still reaching the threshold where anti-inflammatory and stress-reducing benefits kick in.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
“Mindfulness meditation helps calm the body’s stress response by reducing activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which regulates cortisol levels and lowers sympathetic nervous system activation,” Dr. Gidwani says. “It shifts the body into a parasympathetic, ‘rest and repair’ state, which reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and CRP.” She adds that over time, regular meditation can even alter gene expression related to immune function and inflammation.
Dr. Gidwani recommends incorporating mindfulness meditation into your daily routine as often as possible. “Even 10 minutes a day of mindfulness practice can begin to lower stress and inflammation when done consistently,” she says.