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Immunity basics: nutrition and sleep

Food, sleep and vaccines are the foundation. What the cold-remedy evidence in children shows.

Published Sources checked 5 sourcesEverstack research teamHow we work

Talk to your pediatrician. This section is education only and does not replace your child's medical care. Doses for children are only quoted from official guidance (AAP, NIH ODS, WHO).

Foundation

Age-appropriate sleep [1] and recommended vaccines [2] are the best-supported foundations. In children, regular vitamin C shortened colds by about 14% in trials but did not prevent them [3], and vitamin D's pooled benefit was clearest with daily dosing in ages 1 to 15 [4]. Probiotics should not be given to premature infants or immunocompromised children without medical advice [5].

Sources

  1. Paruthi et al. 2016, J Clin Sleep Med (AASM). doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.5866
  2. CDC, Child and adolescent immunization schedule. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/imz-schedules/child-adolescent-age.html
  3. Hemilä & Chalker 2013, Cochrane. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4
  4. Jolliffe et al. 2021, Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00051-6
  5. NCCIH, Probiotics: what you need to know. www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know

DOIs verified against Crossref and official pages checked on 2026-10-15.

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