Better Sleep Means Stronger Immune System

 

Sleep makes a powerful regulatory influence on immune functions.

Owing to the fast living rhythm and working pressures, the number of people being subjected to the decrease in hours of sleep has been growing increasingly. Research has shown that sleep reduction or deprivation will cause the susceptibility to infection and makes us more prone to get cold and other disease related to immunity.

Sleep loss effect the ability to fight infection when the body is subjected to illness such as fevers. It is generally said that fevers inclined to rise at night. Why? The reason is that human body will get a better fever response during sleep. Hence, obviously, if you are not sleeping, you do not have the ability to eliminate the infection.

Sleep can boost the formation of immunological memory. Sleep deprivation causes the generation of inflammatory cytokine which will contribute to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic disorder. Numerous researches have indicated that chronic sleep loss (e.g. 4h per night) would increase the concentration of C-reactive protein which is the sign of inflammation. In other words, people suffering from sleep deprivation are prone to have a persistent low-grade systemic inflammation. On the other hand, John Park, a pulmonologist specializing in sleep medicine, indicates that the immune response to vaccination will be decreased while susceptibility to infections will be enhanced. For instance, 6 days of sleep reduction can weaken the immune response to vaccination against influenza.

What is worse, if human body sleep a night for less than six hours, the mortality rate might increase. Therefore adequate sleep guarantees the defense and stabilization of immune system. Researches manifest that keeping seven to eight hours of sleep a night have the best survival. Here are some sleep hygiene tips you can consider:

- Avoiding coffee and smoking before bed.

- Develop good sleep habits, keep the stable biological clock such as sleep and wake up at the same time every day.

- Master some relaxation behavioral therapy techniques.

Simultaneously, for people who cannot get adequate sleep, a relatively weaker immunity could make you be more likely to infection. Hence, boosting immune system is also quite significant. It is indispensable to cultivate good living habits, such as drinking plenty of water, eating fruit and vegetables. Healthcare products are also the good choice for you to enhance immunity, such as cordyceps, propolis, pollen granule, cen forte, etc.

Let’s regard better sleep quality as a powerful guarantee of immunity enhancement!

Reference

Susan Zafarlotfi, PhD, clinical director, Institute for Sleep and Wake Disorders, Hackensack University Medical Center, N.J.

Mann, D. (2010). Lack of sleep affects your immune system. Coping With Excessive Sleepiness. From http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorder...