Sleep and the Immune System: How Lack of Sleep can Make You Sick

Adequate sleep is essential for the body’s immune system to function at its best. During sleep, oxygen levels in the blood drop, allowing the cells of the immune system to circulate freely through the entire body and detect any foreign substances that need to be eliminated. During this time, breathing and muscle activity slow down, allowing energy for the immune system to fight infection. Simultaneously, melatonin increases during this time – it’s a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation and protect against various diseases by inhibiting oxidative stress in cells. 

Additionally, deep sleep helps our bodies to regulate inflammation. There's a sort of "reset" that happens when we rest. Melatonin helps to reduce inflammation and the body goes through a process of autophagy, where the body "cleans out" waste, chemical buildup and excess lipids and plaques. 

Sleeping allows our bodies to focus on healing and recovery without disrupting performance when we’re awake. By replenishing our energy stores with quality restorative sleep every day, our bodies can maintain a strong immune response against infections or other illnesses throughout the day while continuing to perform physical tasks with improved capacity.

Sleep helps regulate hormones in the body that play an important role in maintaining optimal immunological functioning. These hormones include cortisol and cytokines which help control inflammation associated with illnesses such as asthma and allergies. Cortisol levels increase when people are stressed or deprived of sleep, leading to increased inflammation in the body which can have negative impacts on the functioning of the immune system over time. 

A study from Northwestern Medicine found that after four days of just five hours of sleep per night, white blood cell production was significantly reduced compared to those who got seven hours per night— suggesting a link between inadequate sleep and diminished immune function. 

Finally, research suggests that good rest at night  can boost your body's ability to make antibodies which help ward off infections by attacking viruses and bacteria before they can cause harm or sickness. Additionally, good quality restful sleep increases your ability to make cytokines which help fight infection as well as disease-causing pathogens in general. It appears that deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep serves as an important factor in boosting overall immunity levels within our bodies as well as helping us recover from illness faster if we do become sick due to exposure from viruses or bacteria.

We know that a good night's rest is important for the body to function at its best. But sleep can be hard. Is it difficult for you to fall asleep? Are you dealing with nighttime wakeups? Are you waking up too early and not getting enough hours of shut-eye? 

Sleep issues can be stressful. Many can be remedied by a good sleep routine. Avoid excess screen time before bed. Dim the lights in your house about an hour before you want to sleep. Using a sleep supporting aid can be helpful, but always chat with your doctor to see if there are any lifestyle or medication alterations that need to happen first. For a 1-2 punch for immune and rest support, try Sweet Sleep To-Go!