Health People who sleep too little are more likely to catch a cold, according to a study
A study has established a link between sleep deprivation and infectious diseases. The research team published its results in the specialist journal "Chronobiology International".
11.03.2025, 05:33
SDA
For the study, 1335 nurses in Norway were surveyed, all of whom were at least 30 years old. They reported how much sleep they need, how much they get, which shifts they worked and how often they had certain infectious diseases in the past months.
The results showed that If the nursing staff had a sleep deficit of up to two hours, the risk of catching a cold increased by a third. If the deficit was more than two hours, they were even more likely to catch a cold. The risk of bronchitis, sinusitis and gastrointestinal infections was also increased.
"Sleep deprivation and irregular shift work, including night work, not only affect nurses' immune systems, but could also impact their ability to provide high-quality patient care," said lead author Siri Waage from Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. Something must therefore be done to protect them from infectious diseases.
Other studies also see a connection
However, the research team writes that nothing can be said about cause and effect on the basis of the study - i.e. whether a sleep deficit really causes infections or whether it is rather the infections that lead to a sleep deficit. There may even be an unknown third variable that influences both.
However, other studies could help to answer this question, says Luciana Besedovsky, who is researching the connection between sleep and the immune system at LMU Munich. Her team invited young, healthy test subjects to the sleep laboratory and either let them sleep or kept them awake for 24 hours - and then measured immune parameters.
"We found in these studies that sleep has an effect on various immune parameters," says Besedovsky. "For example, sleep influences the release of certain cytokines, i.e. messenger substances of the immune system." Sleep also has an effect on the number of immune cells circulating in the blood.
Hormones are probably to blame
The causal link is very likely to be hormones. "When you sleep, you release various hormones, such as growth hormone," says the sleep researcher. These hormones also have a positive effect on the immune system, among other things. "This has been relatively well researched."
Another indication that sleep supports the immune system comes from vaccination studies, Besedovsky continues. Participants were divided into groups that were allowed to sleep after a vaccination or not. "Those who slept showed a significantly stronger immune response," she says.
Ultimately, says the sleep researcher, research now has some evidence for a link between sleep duration and infection risk. But the connection is not yet fully understood.
