• 1Make Sleep a Priority (VIDEO)
  • 2Why Do We Need Sleep?
  • 3We Sleep in Cycles
  • 4How Much Do We Need?
  • 5Your Inner Clock
  • 6In Your Dreams
  • 7Sleep Helps Your Body Rebuild
  • 8Sleep Helps You Remember
  • 9Sleep Helps You Fight Illness
  • 10Sleep and Your Weight
  • 11Sleep Fights Weight Gain
  • 12Sleep Keeps You Alert
  • 13Sleep Helps Control Stress
  • 14Could You Have Sleep Apnea?
  • 15The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
  • 16Why Kids Need Their Sleep
  • 17Seniors Need Sleep
  • 18Best Bets at Bedtime: Food
  • 19Best Bets at Bedtime: Drink
  • 20Best Bets at Bedtime: Exercise
  • 21Best Bets at Bedtime: Other Activities
  • 22Sleep Gadgets and Gear
CHAPTER 9

Sleep Helps You Fight Illness

What do we do when a flu bug hits us like a ton of bricks? Retreat to bed, if we can. Your body needs the immune-boosting benefits of sleep to help fight back against the invaders.

PART 1

Deep Sleep Strengthens Immunity

The immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins throughout the body that join forces and spur each other into action against harmful invaders. When we sleep, these protective troops are reinforced. The levels of many immune factors in our blood increases as we sleep. If we are fighting an infection, there is evidence that the immune system works hardest while we are sleeping. READ MORE

Immune proteins called cytokines are known to be powerful sleep inducers. They are also released in greater amounts while we sleep. During slow-wave sleep, researchers have detected increased blood levels of many other substances that activate your immune system, providing evidence that slow-wave sleep helps the body defend itself against infection. On the flip side, sleep deprivation results in decreased immune protection. When we have long-term sleep loss, our bodies produce fewer of the immune protectors called T-cells. Other immune fighters, called natural killer cells, become scarce and less active after just one night of insufficient sleep. LESS
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PART 2

When You Lose Sleep, You Lose Immune Strength

Researchers are finding that sleep is important in boosting your immune strength, including your response to vaccines. One study of men who had received flu vaccine showed that sleep boosted the vaccines effectiveness. A control group whose subjects had slept their usual amount had a strong response to the vaccine, producing anti-flu antibodies after being innoculated. The study group who were sleep-deprived had a much lower immune response than those who had slept well. They produced less than half as many antibodies against flu. READ MORE

Another study showed what a difference adequate sleep can make. Researchers studied 23 healthy men, who slept about eight hours for four nights in a row. On the fifth night, researchers woke the men up at 3 a.m., giving them four hours less sleep than on the previous nights. After this single event, the activity of the “natural killer cells” in their immune systems decreased by more than one fourth the next day. LESS
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