Just one night of sleep deprivation was enough to disrupt the immune system and increase levels of chronic inflammation. Interestingly, these changes in immune function resembled changes in people who are obese. The effect of sleep deprivation on the immune system may explain why people who sleep worse are more likely to get sick and be overweight. Research published in The Journal of Immunology.
In the first part of the study, scientists studied the blood of more than 200 participants of different body weights, including people with obesity. They compared the content of immune cells monocytes, involved in the non-specific or innate immune response, and the presence of signs of inflammation. As it turned out, obese people generally slept worse than people of normal weight, and also had higher levels of chronic inflammation. They had an increased number of non-classical monocytes, which are involved in the inflammatory response, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, i.e. signaling compounds of the immune system.
In the second part of the study, the data from the first part were compared with the data from five healthy volunteers of normal weight who were deprived of sleep for a day. In response to the sleep deprivation, the participants also had increased levels of non-classical monocytes. However, the levels returned to normal when the participants were given a few nights of normal sleep. Even short-term sleep deprivation can be a significant factor in the imbalance in the immune system, scientists believe. And this is made worse by the fact that due to increased screen time and a faster pace of life, people are increasingly sleep deprived and do not have time to catch up on this lost sleep.
However, not all researchers agree that people are sleeping less in modern times. It turns out that people in developed countries sleep more than people in non-industrialized regions.
But scientists already knew about the connection between lack of sleep and obesity. Biochemists have found a hormone that regulates appetite and is produced during sleep, and its deficiency causes obesity.
You can make up for lost hours of sleep on the weekend, and as it turns out, this reduces a person's risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemia, stroke, and heart failure.
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