I am under the impression that those who study such things have concluded that sleep is somehow essential to maintaining the immune system. What goes on during sleep that makes this so? is it something that happens during a particular stage of sleep? I ask because I feel I am living proof something is going on. I haven’t had a cold in more than a year. However, after two consecutive nights with less than ideal sleep (St. Patricks Day night and the night after). I came down with the same cold I always do when I go a couple of nights in a row with limited sleep (not always beer- related). This has been a pattern for many years. Its like the virus is always there, just waiting to attack. Same symptoms, same duration, same “nothing helps”. So, what is happening when I’m snoozing and is it possible the same virus is always lurking and just being held at bay?
“A lot of studies show our T-cells go down if we are sleep deprived,” Balachandran says. “And inflammatory cytokines go up. … This could potentially lead to the greater risk of developing a cold or flu.”
I got this fromthis WebMD article. My experience is similar to yours. I used to travel a lot on business, which would wreck havoc on my sleep, and I usually came back from a trip and catch a cold a few days later. The viruses are all around us, and all it takes is a perturbation of our immune system that allows them to reproduce enough to cause an immune response… and the dance begins.
I don’t really know, except that the body repairs itself during sleep. When one stays out late, etc. and has poor sleep, the body cannot repair itself properly and is more susceptible to germs, viruses, etc. Your question is a good one, and hopefully someone else can give you a more thorough answer.
I am the same. All it takes is for two days of limited sleep (less than 5.5hours) and I’m sick 1-2 days later. Kiss comfort goodbye for the next 12 days.
I noticed it first in college because I was sick every finals season. I don’t think all people are like this, others did not seem as affected.
I also have noticed that it lack of sleep can effect me badly in the middle of a mild sickness. I had a very mild cold a month ago, but due to some external circumstances I got less than 4 hours of sleep one night. The next day I had chills and a fever of 100 degrees. I got good sleep the next night and the fever was gone, only mild cold symptoms remained.
Sleep is actually something of a mystery, though it’s being studied in detail. We don’t entirely know how the body uses the period to refresh itself. But all indications are that it does so in a hundred small ways that are collectively indenspensible.
Exactly. We don’t know why we need to sleep, but it does rejuvenate body processes, and I suspect the issue OP describes is simple - without sleep, the body is stressed; stress weakens the immune system.