Is Your Immune System Ready for Fall? Here’s How to Support It

Summary

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Chasing Life – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Is Your Immune System Ready for Fall? Here’s How to Support It
Host: Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN Podcasts)
Date: September 2, 2025

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Overview

This episode of Chasing Life addresses a highly seasonal topic: preparing and supporting your immune system as we transition into fall and the busy back-to-school period. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joined by experts, answers listener questions about immunity, illness prevention for teachers and families, and explores the vital role sleep plays in overall health and immune function. The episode is practical, accessible, and aimed at helping listeners build and maintain resilient health habits amid the return to school and colder weather.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Do Teachers Build Immunity Over Time?

• Listener Question (Gina, [00:26]): A seasoned teacher asks if years of teaching—and exposure to germs—increases immunity, and what else (beyond flu shots) can support immune health.
• Dr. Sanjay Gupta [02:23]: Recognizes the increased concern about immunity during fall, especially for teachers and parents exposed to high volumes of germs.
• Expert Perspective – Dr. Stephanie James, Regis University ([02:42], [04:17]):
  • Classrooms are described as “giant petri dishes”—many pathogens, frequent surface sharing, and inconsistent hygiene.
  • “There are over 200 different types of viruses that cause just the common cold. If you put 20 or so people in a classroom... there’s a good chance a pathogen can easily spread.” (Dr. James, [03:13])
  • While teachers do develop some immunity (“somewhat”), hard evidence is limited, but cumulative exposure offers greater familiarity for the immune system with certain pathogens.
• Dr. Gupta’s Summary ([04:41]): “When a teacher gets sick, it depends on two things: ‘Have they been exposed to that specific pathogen before? And does their immune system remember it and respond quickly?’”
  The immune system’s memory is key. Viruses like the common cold regularly mutate, introducing new challenges even to the experienced.

2. Foundations for a Strong Immune System ([05:13]):

• There’s no “magic way” to boost the immune system, but you can optimize function with:
  • Sufficient sleep
  • Balanced diet (especially fruits & vegetables)
  • Regular exercise
  • Not smoking
  • Staying current on vaccines
  • Managing stress and mental wellness
• Quote: “‘Your body has the ability to fight off many things. In fact, even in the time that you’ve been listening to this, your body has probably fought off some pathogens. But you gotta give it the opportunity to do so.’” (Dr. Gupta, [06:31])
• Mental health directly affects the body’s infection-fighting capabilities.

3. The Crucial Role of Sleep in Immunity and Health ([07:59] – [16:25])

• Why Sleep Matters ([08:17]):
  • Dr. Gupta candidly shares a shift in his own approach: “There was a time in my life when I did not prioritize sleep... But I know better now. Getting better sleep, quality of sleep, quantity of sleep. I am better for it.”
  • Sleep “repairs and strengthens your heart and your immune systems, regulates metabolism,” and cleans the brain of waste products while aiding memory.
• Sleep Shortage in America ([08:55]):
  • Over half aren’t getting enough sleep; 1 in 3 adults regularly get less than 7 hours (CDC, 2020).
  • Insufficient sleep increases risk for heart disease, diabetes, depression, poor productivity, etc.
• Age-Specific Recommendations ([10:18]):
  • Adults need 7–9 hours
  • Teens: 8–10 hours
  • Toddlers: 11–14 hours (including naps)
  • Newborns: up to 17 hours
  • For kids, sleep is crucial for growth and readiness to learn.
• Expert Sleep Tips ([11:20]—Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard):
  • Keep the bedroom cool (“A warm bedroom above 70 degrees has the risk of increasing your risk for nightmares... A cooler temperature is better able to support our good sleep, pull us into deeper stages sooner and help us stay there.” [11:28])
  • Create a consistent sleep routine; wind down 30 minutes before bed, low lights, and quiet activities.
  • Block out light (use blackout curtains as needed, but for kids: a dim red or orange night light is preferred, as white/blue light can disrupt sleep).
• On Devices & Blue Light ([12:40]):
  • Light, especially blue, interrupts melatonin (“the hormone of darkness”) production, making falling asleep harder.
• Routine and Regularity ([13:05]):
  • Go to bed and wake up at the same time, even on weekends—especially for children.
  • “That consistency will really reinforce your sleep-wake cycle.” (Dr. Gupta [13:14])
  • Exercise helps, but avoid within 2–3 hours of bedtime; late caffeine, spicy food, heavy meals, and alcohol all disrupt sleep.
• Melatonin Advice ([14:15]):
  • Evidence for melatonin is mixed.
  • It can help with temporary issues like jet lag but is not generally recommended for chronic insomnia or older adults with dementia.
  • “The thing is, we just don’t know as much about long term use. As always, talk to your doctor about this.” (Dr. Gupta [14:37])
• If You Can’t Sleep ([15:05]):
  • If unable to sleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed, keep lights dim, engage in calm activity, and don’t turn to TV or your phone.
  • Wait to return to bed until you’re sleepy—not merely tired.
• Final Takeaways ([15:50]):
  • Sleep is as important for wellness as diet or exercise.
  • “We spend about a third of our lives sleeping and many times we don’t get it right. We focus so much on how we move and how we nourish ourselves. We gotta think more about how we rest for the current you and the future you.”
  • Give yourself a chance for quality sleep—your body and brain will “thank you in the morning.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Classroom Germs:
  “I like to think of the classroom as a giant petri dish. It’s a great place for pathogens to circulate.” – Dr. Stephanie James, [02:52]
• On Immune Memory:
  “When a teacher gets sick, it depends on two things... Have they been exposed to that specific pathogen before? And does their immune system remember it and respond quickly?” – Dr. Gupta, [04:41]
• On Building Immunity:
  “If they were both healthy and able to develop an immune response to pathogens, I think it would make sense... school teachers would build up immunity over the years. I have not seen any hard evidence supporting this, but they have been exposed to more pathogens than, say, an individual working by themselves in an office.” – Dr. Stephanie James, [04:17]
• On Sleep Environment:
  “A warm bedroom above 70 degrees has the risk of increasing your risk for nightmares... a cooler temperature is better able to support our good sleep.” – Dr. Rebecca Robbins, [11:28]
• On Light at Night – Kids’ Sleep:
  “If your child wants to use a night light, that's great, but keep it dim. And try and find one that is on the red or orange spectrum instead of white or blue, because we know that white or blue light can keep them awake longer, even if it makes them feel more secure.” – Dr. David Hill, [12:24]
• On Sleep and Health:
  “We spend about a third of our lives sleeping and many times we don’t get it right. We focus so much on how we move and how we nourish ourselves. We gotta think more about how we rest for the current you and the future you.” – Dr. Gupta, [15:50]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:26] Listener Gina’s Question (Teacher immunity & back-to-school)
• [02:42] Dr. James on classroom germs & immune exposure
• [04:17] Do teachers develop immunity? Expert view
• [05:13] Dr. Gupta’s tips for supporting immune health
• [07:59] Listener questions about sleep
• [08:17] Why sleep matters—Dr. Gupta’s personal experience & overview
• [10:18] Age-based sleep recommendations
• [11:20] Dr. Robbins: Sleep science & the importance of a cool environment
• [12:24] Dr. Hill: Kids’ night lights and sleep-friendly light choices
• [13:05] Developing consistent sleep routines
• [14:15] Melatonin advice and quick overview
• [15:05] What to do if you can’t sleep

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Tone & Language

Friendly, practical, reassuring, and evidence-based: Dr. Gupta communicates clearly and encourages listeners to make sustainable, science-backed lifestyle changes without promising easy or “miracle” fixes. The episode balances expert insights with everyday advice, and acknowledges real-world challenges (as both a dad and a physician).

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In Summary

Key Takeaway:
There are no shortcuts or secret hacks to “boost” immunity, but you can support your body’s natural defenses with healthy routines (adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, exercise, sabbaticals from stress, and vaccines). Teachers and parents, while exposed to more germs, may develop partial immunity to common bugs, but new and changing pathogens keep risks present each year—making daily wellness habits especially critical.
Bonus Insight:
Prioritizing good sleep is foundational for immune resilience, brain health, mood, and overall vitality—“Give yourself the chance to get some quality sleep … your body and brain will thank you in the morning.” (Dr. Gupta, [15:55])

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. This is the place I get to tackle your health questions and you've been sending quite a few my way. Jennifer, one of our producers is joining us today. Welcome, Jen, who do we have first?

[B]

Hey, Sanjay. Today's question is from a listener who's been wondering about going back to school, which feels especially relevant to me too, since my daughter's about to start daycare. Have a listen.

[C]

Hi, my name is Gina and I'm calling from Southern California. I'm a teacher. I've been teaching for around 25 years and I was just wondering, do teachers tend to build up an immunity over the years or does it just depend on the germs going around that season? Besides the flu shot, is there anything else that teachers can do to boost their immune system as they're going back to school? Thanks a lot. Love the show.

[A]

Gina, thanks a lot for this question. You know, I think a lot of people are thinking about their immune systems, maybe even more so as we head into fall, head into school season. So I've been thinking about this as well, and I'm going to tell you what you need to know right after the break.

[D]

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[A]

Lets be honest. I know this firsthand. Once kids start getting sick, it starts spreading quickly through homes, through neighborhoods, through entire cities. And if you spend a lot of time around your kids, you already know this.

[F]

It makes sense that Teachers, parents and caregivers would get sick more often than the average person.

[A]

That's Dr. Stephanie James, who teaches immunology and and infectious diseases at Regis University in Denver. She points out that there are a few factors at play here.

[F]

I like to think of the classroom as a giant petri dish. It's a great place for pathogens to circulate. There are a lot of shared surfaces, and in young children in particular, hand hygiene and good hand washing skills may not be as good and high quality as with older kids and adults. Plus, there are just many pathogens out there. For example, there's over 200 different types of viruses that cause just the common cold. So if we combine the number of pathogens and then you put 20 or so people in a classroom for several hours, plus their level of good hygiene practice, there's a good chance that a pathogen can easily spread around and make many people sick.

[A]

But I can tell you it is more than just hygiene. Kids immune systems are still learning. They. They haven't been on the planet as long, so they haven't been exposed to as many pathogens. They're still trying to figure out what is a threat in terms of pathogens and how to respond. So colds and common infections in some ways are part of that immune system training. And those exposures happen daily, even from playing in the dirt. For example, one gram of soil, just one gram, has about a billion microbes. So that gets us back to Gina's question. Do teachers develop some sort of immunity to illnesses over time?

[F]

Somewhat. If they were both healthy and able to develop an immune response to pathogens, I think it would make sense. And it is logical that school teachers would build up immunity over the years. I have not seen any hard evidence supporting this, but they have been exposed to more pathogens than, say, an individual working by themselves in an office.

[A]

I think that makes sense. You're just exposed more, you're likely to have more immunity. I think you can say the same thing about healthcare workers. Now, when a teacher gets sick, it depends on two things. Primarily, have they been exposed to that specific pathogen before? And does their immune system remember it and respond quickly? Makes sense. If you haven't been exposed to a pathogen before, you're more likely to get sick. Your immune system has no knowledge of this pathogen. People catch colds yearly. Why? Because the virus strain does keep changing, keeps drifting, as they say. Now, there's not a specific way to boost your immune system, but there are ways you can support it and optimize it, if you will. Getting Plenty of sleep, that makes a big difference. Eating a balanced diet, specifically high in fruits and vegetables. Exercising, that actually helps build up certain things in your body that can help fight infections. Not smoking, obviously. Stay up to date with your vaccines, manage stress, and take care of your mental health as well. Mental health actually influences how your body makes certain infection fighting molecules. So if your mental health is optimized, that can help you fight infections. Maybe that's not intuitive for a lot of people, but it actually does work. So to get your immune system in tip top shape, focus on maintaining that healthy lifestyle. And I can't stress this enough, you are the best judge of your own body and your own immune system. Listen to your body. Nothing can replace resting and getting enough sleep. Your body has the ability to fight off many things. In fact, even in the time that you've been listening to this, your body has probably fought off some pathogens. But you gotta give it the opportunity to do so. So, Gina, thank you for that great question. And after the break, we're gonna talk about one of those healthy lifestyle changes that we've been getting a lot of questions about sleep for you and the whole family.

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[A]

All right, we're back with Paging Dr. Gupta. Jennifer, what do we have next?

[B]

So this topic actually came up a lot in our inbox and also among our team, we have questions about sleep. How much do we really need? What can we do to sleep better? And maybe most importantly, how we can get more of it.

[A]

Look, I just want to be honest and candid with you. There was a time in my life when I did not prioritize sleep. I used to mainly see it as a large chunk of my life spent doing something that wasn't that productive. But I know better now. Getting better sleep, quality of sleep, quantity of sleep. It is something that I take very seriously. I measure it, I quantify it, I track it. And I'll tell you what, I am better for it. We know sleep is so important. It's your body's way of hitting the reset button. It repairs and strengthens your heart and your immune systems, regulates your metabolism. It's also really crucial for the brain. It is a time when your brain is actually actively clearing out waste products and also taking short term memories and storing them in the long term memory areas. But at the same time I'm saying all this, over half of Americans say they're not getting enough sleep. In 2020, the CDC found 1 in 3 adults regularly get less than 7 hours. And chances are you or someone you know probably struggles with this, either to fall asleep or to stay asleep. No surprise then, many people are looking for ways to sleep better. So let's talk about what you need to know about a good night's rest. The vast majority of adults need around seven to nine hours. You might hear that and think, I don't need that much. But really, unless you're in a very small minority, less is not enough. When you don't get enough sleep, you're actually at increased risk for physical problems and mental health problems. Heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression. You're also probably less productive. You'll have decreased attention span, slower reaction time. And for children, sleep is even more crucial, especially as we're back to school. Children's bodies are growing and a lot of that growth that happens at night. Sleep plays a major role in that process. And while it can often be hard for kids to adjust to going to bed earlier after a long summer break, it is important that they get the right amount of sleep. And now is the time to to really set that schedule in stone. Daily recommended hours of sleep depends on age. For newborns, it's up to 17 hours. They're sleeping almost all the time for toddlers, 11 to 14 hours a day, including naps. Teenagers, they still need a good chunk of sleep, eight to 10 hours. Now it's clear how much sleep we get matters, no matter what age we are. So let me give you a few tried and true sleep tips. Start with your sleep environment. Keep it dark and cool. Okay? And cool is surprisingly important. We talked to another expert, Dr. Rebecca Robbins, about this. She is a sleep scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

[H]

Temperature really matters. A warm bedroom above 70 degrees has the risk of increasing your risk for nightmares. So individuals in warmer environments actually have more disruptive dreams or nightmares and just general sleep fragmentation. Whereas a cooler temperature is better able to support our good sleep, pull us into deeper stages sooner and help us stay there.

[A]

Wow, I didn't actually know that the thing about nightmares. So keep it cool. Set a consistent sleep routine that cues your body and brain. I like to wind down about 30 minutes before bed. I keep the lights low, the room cool, and I unwind. Some people like white noise. Me, not so much. But for some people, that white noise can help drown out other noises. And use blackout curtains if you have to. Now, as a parent, I know that not all kids do well in complete darkness. So we checked in with the pediatrician, Dr. David Hill. You may remember him from our recent episode on Parenting Recommendations. We wanted to get his thoughts on whether or not your room really has to be pitch black for your little one.

[J]

If your child wants to use a night light, that's great, but keep it dim. And try and find one that is on the red or orange spectrum instead of white or blue, because we know that white or blue light can keep them awake longer, even if it makes them feel more secure.

[A]

And that same advice goes for adults. Be aware of devices. Research has found that the body will slow or stop its natural production of the hormone melatonin. And if exposed to light. Melatonin, by the way, the hormone of darkness, that is something that is actually excreted at night. So try to eliminate any light, even the blue light, from your charging smartphone or your laptop. Next, go to bed at a reasonable time, one that actually allows you to get enough shut eye. That's just basic math. And keep a regular schedule. Go to bed, wake up same time every day. That consistency will really reinforce your sleep wake cycle. And again, for kids, shifting back into that school routine can be difficult after summer. And sleep is probably one of the first things to get thrown off. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that sleep problems affect 25 to 50% of children. And Dr. Hill says try to get them to wake up at the same time as well on the weekends that they do on school days. That's a tough one, but it can be important. If you get it right, you'll find that Monday and Tuesdays are going to be much better days for them. Exercise helps as well, but don't do it within two to three hours of bedtime. That can be too activating diet wise. Avoid alcohol, spicy food, caffeine, ideally at least six hours before bedtime. Heavy meals can also affect sleep and not in a good way. And as far as melatonin, again, this hormone of darkness. I'll tell you what, I looked into this and the evidence is mixed. Studies show that it can help with things like jet lag, but not really recommended for chronic insomnia. And there are some safety concerns for older people. The 2015 guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends against melatonin in people with dementia. Short term use of melatonin, I think that's fine, appears to be safe for most people, but the thing is we just don't know as much about long term use. As always, talk to your doctor about this. And look, if your best attempts to fall asleep are falling short, you're still finding yourself just tossing and turning. If you can't fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed. Maybe go to another room. Make sure the lights are dim in that room. Read quietly, listen to some quiet music. Try some relaxation techniques. Do this sitting up rather than laying down. Do not watch television. Do not look at your phone. Wait till you feel sleepy, not just tired. Then try going back to bed. I know that this is a stressful topic. Sleep can be a stressful topic. Falling asleep, staying asleep, getting enough sleep. It's not always easy, but it is important. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping and many times we don't get it right. We focus so much on how we move and how we nourish ourselves. We gotta think more about how we rest for the current you and the future you. So tonight, give yourself the chance to get some quality sleep. I promise you your body and brain will thank you in the morning. That's a wrap for today. Just want to say these questions really matter. I listen to them, I pay attention. They help people in their everyday lives. They spark real conversations even among our team. And honestly, I'm learning as well. Right alongside you. I want to thank our guests and our experts today. Keep those questions coming. I'm going to be on this journey with you. You've got something that you've been curious about. Send it our way. We might answer it on our next show. Record a voice memo, email it to asksonjnn.com or give us a call. 470-3960-832 and leave a message.

[D]

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[J]

News Fatigue have I Got News for you? Is the cure and also the disease. CNN's Comedy Quiz show is making sense of the mayhem and definitely adding to it. Have I Got News for you? Return Saturday, September 6th on CNN.