Sleep's Role In Fighting A Cold: First Days' Priority

Sleep is an essential part of recovery from illness. When you're sick, your body needs rest to get better. Getting extra sleep gives your body time to repair itself and fight off illness. This is because your body releases proteins called cytokines during sleep, which communicate with cells in the immune system to help knock out pathogens.

Research has shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a night are almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who get eight hours or more. Therefore, it is recommended that people add at least one hour of sleep a night to their usual sleep times when they are sick, along with taking one or two naps during the day.

Sleep helps your body fight off illness by producing proteins called cytokines, which communicate with cells in the immune system to help knock out pathogens

Sleep is essential when you're sick. It gives your body time to repair itself, and there are certain immune processes that take place while you sleep that can help your body fight off illness.

One way that sleep helps your body fight off illness is by producing proteins called cytokines, which communicate with cells in the immune system to help knock out pathogens. Cytokines are a type of protein in your immune system that targets infections, and they are produced and released during sleep. This means that sleep helps jump-start your immune response to your illness.

Julia Kogan, a health psychologist who focuses on behavioural sleep medicine, notes that "if you're not sleeping well, the body doesn't produce cytokines as productively." This sets you up to be more sick and makes it harder for your immune system to fight off illness.

In addition to cytokines, there are other ways that sleep helps your body fight off illness. For example, your body has a better fever response while you're sleeping. Sleep also gives your body the energy it needs to fight off illness. When you're awake, your body needs to direct energy to activities like thinking or moving around. When you're asleep, your body can redirect that energy to your immune system so you can recover more quickly.

So, if you're feeling under the weather, be sure to get plenty of rest. It will help your body fight off illness and get you on the road to recovery.

Sleep is like medicine for the immune system, helping you make a full recovery

There is a close connection between sleep and the immune system. When you sleep, your body releases proteins called cytokines, which communicate with the cells in the immune system to help knock out pathogens. Cytokines also help promote sleep, so giving in to feelings of fatigue helps your body make more cytokines and fast-track your recovery.

A lack of sleep can set you up to be more sick and makes it harder for your body to fight off infections. Sleep helps T cells (a type of white blood cell) to stick to infected cells and destroy them. Slow-wave sleep and the circadian rhythm induce hormonal changes that help send T cells to the lymph nodes and stimulate an immune response against pathogens.

Additionally, sleep is important for the functioning of natural killer cells, another type of immune cell that can attack tumour cells, as well as cells invaded by a virus. Even modest amounts of sleep loss can cause natural killer cell activity to drop significantly, which could mean feeling sicker for longer and increasing your risk factors for autoimmune issues.

Sleep is essential when you're sick, and it's important to get more than the recommended amount of sleep for healthy adults. The more sleep you can get, the better. Aim for more than nine hours if you're sick, and try to get a good long continuous stretch of sleep over the course of the night.

Lack of sleep can make you more susceptible to getting sick

Sleep is an essential part of recovery from illness. When you're sick, your body needs rest to heal, and sleep gives your body time to repair itself. Fighting an illness takes a lot of energy, which can leave you feeling tired and lacking in energy.

There is a close connection between sleep and the immune system. When you sleep, your body releases proteins called cytokines, which communicate with cells in the immune system to help fight off a pathogen. Cytokines also help promote sleep. Giving in to feelings of fatigue helps the body make more cytokines and fast-track your recovery.

A lack of sleep can negatively impact your immune system. Health psychologist Julia Kogan notes that "if you're not sleeping well, the body doesn't produce cytokines as productively... The lack of sleep sets you up to potentially be more sick and makes it harder for your immune system to fight things off."

Additionally, sleep loss can cause a drop in natural killer cell activity, which could mean feeling sicker for longer and increasing your risk factors for autoimmune issues.

Therefore, it's important to prioritize sleep when you're feeling under the weather. Aim for more than nine hours of sleep if you're sick, and try to get a good long continuous stretch of sleep over the course of the night.

• Avoid screens at night as artificial light is not sleep-promoting. Instead, try reading a book or listening to music.
• Use a humidifier or vaporizer to increase moisture in the air and ease respiratory symptoms.
• Avoid eating too close to bedtime as this can interfere with sleep. Try to eat at least three hours before bed, and focus on nourishing foods like vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and soups.
• Stay hydrated as common sickness symptoms like sweating and vomiting can make you more susceptible to dehydration.
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, and place a variety of blankets within reach to accommodate both fever and chills.

Getting enough sleep is especially important when you're sick because it helps your body channel all its resources toward breaking a fever and fighting pathogens

Getting enough sleep is especially important when you're sick because it helps your body channel its resources toward breaking a fever and fighting pathogens. This phenomenon is known as "sickness behaviour" and is an adaptation that forces you to slow down and rest.

When you're asleep, your body releases proteins called cytokines, which communicate with cells in the immune system to help fight off pathogens. Cytokines also promote sleep, so giving in to feelings of fatigue helps your body make more cytokines and fast-track your recovery.

Results from a 2019 study suggest that sleep helps T cells (a type of white blood cell) to stick to infected cells and destroy them. Sleep also induces hormonal changes that help send T cells to the lymph nodes and stimulate an immune response against a pathogen.

Additionally, sleep is important for the functioning of natural killer cells, another type of immune cell that can attack tumour cells and cells invaded by a virus. Even modest amounts of sleep loss can cause natural killer cell activity to drop significantly, which could mean feeling sicker for longer and increasing your risk of autoimmune issues.

Therefore, getting enough sleep when you're sick is crucial for helping your body fight off infections and recover from illness.

If you're sick, try to get more than nine hours of sleep per night

Sleep is an essential part of recovery when you're sick. It's your body's way of telling you to slow down and rest, so you can get healthy. When you're asleep, your body releases proteins called cytokines, which communicate with cells in the immune system to help fight off illness.

If you're sick, it's recommended that you aim for more than nine hours of sleep per night. This is the amount of sleep that may be appropriate for people with illnesses to get on a regular basis, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. However, don't stress over trying to get that exact amount of sleep. As long as you're giving your body the sleep it needs, you're doing the right thing for your recovery.

• Don't eat too close to bedtime. Try to finish eating at least three hours before going to bed so your body can focus on sleep instead of digestion.
• Avoid screens at night. The artificial light from technology is not sleep-promoting. Instead, try reading a book, listening to music, or doing something else that doesn't involve screens.
• Use a humidifier. Dry air can lead to dry sinuses and other symptoms that make it hard to sleep when you're sick. A humidifier can increase the moisture in the air and potentially ease some respiratory symptoms.
• Stay hydrated. Common sickness symptoms like sweating, diarrhea, and vomiting can make you more susceptible to dehydration, so try to increase your fluid intake when you're sick.
• Take naps throughout the day. Napping can boost the overall amount of sleep you get in a 24-hour period. However, if possible, still try to get a good long continuous stretch of sleep at night.

By getting enough sleep when you're sick, you're giving your body the best chance to recover.

Frequently asked questions