How Sleep And Sunshine Can Protect You From Covid

Finally, there is some proof of Vitamin D’s role in boosting immunity, so do spend time outdoors in the winter sun, and don’t skimp on sleep if you want your immune system to remain shipshape

- Abhilash Gaur @timesgroup.com

The coronavirus has touched us in ways we don’t even realise. Recently, Nikkei reported how it has affected car production – not because of slipping demand but a parts crunch. As people hunkered down at home last March, the demand for phones, laptops and gaming consoles shot up. Some countries also started installing 5G infrastructure. So, semiconductor makers diverted their capacity to make more of the chips needed for smart devices, leading to a shortage of chips needed for vehicle control systems.

Vitamin D Really Fights Infection

Phones were not the only thing we bought more of last year. The Washington Post says the demand for vitamin D supplements in December 2020 was 41.5% higher than in December 2019. The ‘sunshine vitamin’ has been selling fast because many studies have shown a link between its deficiency and lower immunity. The Times of India discussed its role as an immunity booster last June (The Sun Could Help Fight Covid).

The Post cites a study from Chicago that found people who had been diagnosed vitamin D-deficient earlier were “77% more likely” to fall sick with Covid. Another study in Italy found that, among patients who were hospitalised with acute respiratory failure due to Covid, 81% were vitamin D-deficient.