A person who often gets colds usually has these overlooked habits (and it’s not just “weak immunity”).
We all know that one person. The minute a new sniffle makes its way through the office, the school, or the grandkids, they’re the first to catch it. And they’re not just catching it—they seem to be on a first-name basis with every virus for two hundred miles. They’re the unofficial historians of the latest cold strain: “Ah, yes, this one starts with a scratchy throat, moves to the sinuses by day three, and has that really annoying cough that lingers.”
If you are that person, or if you love someone who is, you’ve probably been told—or have told yourself—“You just have a weak immune system.” It’s the default explanation. But here’s a more useful and often more accurate truth: Frequent colds are less often about a fundamentally “weak” immune system and more about a overburdened or misdirected one.
Think of your immune system not as a muscle that’s strong or weak, but as a highly intelligent, incredibly busy security force. Its job is to patrol your borders, check IDs, and neutralize threats. But what if you constantly leave all the doors and windows unlocked? What if you’re asking your security team to also fight off bears while dealing with burglars? Or what if you’re so busy running them ragged with false alarms that when a real threat shows up, they’re exhausted?
The habits that lead to being “the person who always gets sick” are often these subtle, overlooked moves that keep leaving the doors unlocked. They’re not about being careless; they’re about not connecting the dots between daily life and the body’s defenses.
Let’s shine a light on these overlooked habits.
Habit #1: The “Dry Handshake” (Or, Chronic Dehydration of the Mucous Membranes)
Your first line of defense isn’t in your blood; it’s in your saliva and the mucus lining your nose and throat. This sticky fluid is teeming with immune soldiers like immunoglobulin A (IgA), ready to trap and neutralize invaders the moment they land. But this defense requires water.
If you’re chronically even mildly dehydrated—sipping coffee all morning, having a diet soda at lunch, and only drinking a glass of water with dinner—your mucous membranes dry out. They become less “sticky” and more like cracked earth, providing easy entry points for viruses. The overlooked habit isn’t not drinking water; it’s not prioritizing water as a non-negotiable, first-thing-in-the-morning, all-day-long immune essential.
Habit #2: The Midnight Scroll (Sacrificing Sleep’s Command Center)
You know sleep is important. But you might not know that during deep, slow-wave sleep, your body’s immune command center goes into high gear. It releases cytokines (proteins that help fight infection), deploys T-cells (the special forces of your immune army), and essentially runs its nightly “virus scan and software update.”
When you regularly shave off an hour or two to finish a show or scroll through your phone, you’re not just making yourself tired. You’re actively canceling the critical staff meeting where your body plans its defense strategy for the next day. One night of poor sleep can reduce your natural killer cell activity by over 70%. The overlooked habit is viewing sleep as a luxury or passive state instead of the most potent, free immune booster you have.
Habit #3: The Sugar-Coated Life (Feeding the Wrong Side)
That mid-afternoon candy bar, the sugary coffee drink, the processed snacks—they do more than add empty calories. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming 100 grams of sugar (about three cans of soda) significantly reduced the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacteria for up to five hours afterwards. Sugar causes inflammation and can literally paralyze your immune responders. The overlooked habit isn’t the occasional treat; it’s the steady, daily drip of hidden sugars in sauces, breads, “healthy” granola bars, and drinks that keeps your immune system in a temporary but recurring state of dysfunction.
Habit #4: The White-Knuckle Commute (The Hidden Toll of Chronic Low-Grade Stress)
We’re not talking about acute stress (a big project deadline). We’re talking about the chronic, background noise of stress: the tense commute, the worrying about finances, the feeling of being constantly behind. This type of stress keeps cortisol levels elevated. Cortisol is a fantastic anti-inflammatory hormone for short bursts, but when it’s constantly high, it becomes an immune suppressant. It tells your immune system, “Stand down, we’re dealing with a different kind of emergency (the stress).” This leaves you vulnerable when a real germ comes along. The overlooked habit is ignoring the body-wide impact of unmanaged, daily stress and not building in deliberate de-compressors like five minutes of deep breathing, a walk outside, or even just laughing at a funny video.
Habit #5: The Sterile Environment Fallacy (Avoiding All Germs)
This seems counterintuitive, but it’s crucial. If you use antibacterial soap on everything, sanitize every surface obsessively, and avoid all public spaces, your immune system becomes like an untrained army. It never gets to practice on minor threats. The “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that a lack of exposure to everyday microbes in childhood (and even adulthood) can lead to an immune system that is both under-trained and over-reactive (leading to more allergies and potentially less effective responses to viruses). The overlooked habit is using harsh chemical sanitizers on your hands and home when plain soap and water would do, robbing your immune system of the gentle “boot camp” it needs to stay sharp.
Habit #6: The Forgotten Vitamin D Winter
For many, especially those in northern climates or who work indoors, Vitamin D levels plummet from fall to spring. Vitamin D is not just a vitamin; it’s a hormone that plays a director-like role in activating your immune defenses. Low levels are consistently linked to increased susceptibility to infection. The overlooked habit is not getting your levels checked and not supplementing wisely during the darker months, assuming that a multivitamin provides enough (it often doesn’t).
What To Do If You’re “That Person”: A Resiliency Plan
Stop thinking, “I have a weak immune system.” Start thinking, “How can I remove the obstacles that are burdening my defenses?”
- Hydrate Like It’s Your Job: Start the day with a large glass of water. Keep a bottle at your desk. Herbal teas count. Your goal is pale yellow urine.
- Protect Sleep Like a Guard Dog: Create a cool, dark, tech-free cave. Set a firm bedtime. Consider sleep the #1 thing you can do for your health.
- Read Labels & Tame the Sugar Beast: Look for added sugars. Swap the afternoon candy for a handful of nuts and an apple. Feed your microbiome with fiber (veggies, whole grains) which it converts into anti-inflammatory compounds.
- Practice “Stress Shedding”: Schedule worry time if you must, then let it go. Try box breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4). Move your body—walking is a powerful stress-reliever.
- Embrace Smarter, Not Sterile, Hygiene: Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Skip the antibacterial products for routine use. Get outside, get your hands in the dirt (gardening!), and breathe fresh air.
- Get Tested: Ask your doctor for a Vitamin D (25-hydroxy) and zinc level test. Supplement appropriately based on the results, not guesswork.
Becoming the person who doesn’t catch every bug isn’t about building an iron fortress. It’s about being a brilliant strategist for your own body. It’s about unlocking the doors you didn’t know were open, giving your defenses the rest and fuel they need, and letting them train effectively. Your security force is already there, ready and capable. Your job is simply to stop working against it.
