sleep deprivation linked to your immune system response

Lack of sleep can impair your immune system and make you more vulnerable to infection. Your immune system produces cytokines when you are sleeping. Cytokines are special molecules that help your body in fighting infection and inflammation. When you don’t get proper sleep, the production of these cytokines is reduced, leaving your body more prone to viral and bacterial infections. 

When you are sleeping, your immune cells stop circulating. Your body gets rid of the older cells and creates new ones. This is what actually happens in the brain as well. It removes the toxic waste and prepares you for the next day. The concentration of interleukin-7 (IL-7) increases during your sleep. IL-7 play an uimportant role in the development and survival of T-cells. T-cells are like the soldiers of the immunesystem that seek out and destroy cells that are infected with a pathogen.

A poor sleep routine can cause inflammation. Inflammation is the natural defense response of the body during fighting infection. But when this inflammation occurs too often or at the wrong times. It can lead to problems such as autoimmune diseases. Getting good sleep helps your body to counteract inflammation.

Sleep deprivation also affects how we respond to viral infection. When we do not get proper sleep, our immune system is suppressed. This results in the production of fewer antibodies that are needed to fight off viruses. Sleep deprivation increases the risk of other health conditions such as cardiovascular problems and Alzheimer’s disease. Poor sleep allows Alzheimer’s protein to build up in the brain. Researchers don’t know if the presence of higher levels of Alzheimer’s protein is because sleep deprivation stopped the brain’s routine cleaning process or because the brain produced more of this protein as a result of being awake for so long.

Lack of sleep increases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol which then suppresses your immune system. Elevated levels of cortisol put strain on your circulatory system due to increased heart rate. Increased blood pressure over time can lead to cardiovascular problems. Around 20% of people in the world are sleep deprivation. For a health body, you should get 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep evey night.