As a result of increasing research and developments in the science of sleep in recent years, it has been seen that the sleep pattern has an effect on almost every system of the body. Sleep, which has important effects on both mental and physical health, is also very important for a strong immune system.
Sleep for the Immune System
The immune system has a key role in protecting health, preventing many acute and chronic diseases and healing wounds. The immune system and sleep, which are in a bidirectional relationship, are greatly affected by each other. Infections, diseases and related symptoms in the body can disrupt sleep patterns. Insufficient or irregular sleep also causes the immune system to weaken and the body to become prone to diseases.
In this period, when the pandemic caused by the corona virus has affected the world since the end of 2019, a strong immune system plays the most important role in protecting from the virus and its effects. It is observed that the disease progresses much more severely in individuals with a weak immune system, the recovery period is prolonged, and the probability of developing severe problems such as pneumonia increases significantly. For this reason, sleep patterns are very important in strengthening the immune system against COVID-19 infection.
How Does the Immune System Work?
The immune system is the body's defense network that fights against diseases. This system, which attacks against infectious agents, malignant cell communities and antigens entering the body with many different types of immune cells, is responsible for protecting the body against all kinds of threats to health and life in general. Although the basic defense methods are innate, new types of antibodies are produced as a result of the agents the body encounters and the diseases passed, and thus the defense system constantly improves itself. This condition is also called acquired immunity.
When any disease factor enters the body, white blood cells detect this agent and begin to secrete cytokines that prepare other white blood cells in the body for attack. cytokines, messengers of the immune system They are the cells that play the role of and have a great influence on the formation of the necessary defense response. Other proteins, such as histamine, are involved in the creation of immune reactions such as redness, swelling, itching in the area where the agent is detected.
When a strong immune system detects a threat or injury, it creates responses such as inflammation, fever, pain, redness, swelling. It directly attacks and destroys disease-causing (pathogenic) agents. The immune system needs to be able to detect threats entering the body in a timely manner, to create an accurate and adequate response to them, to take action at the right time, and to work without damaging its own tissues and organs. A strong defense system that works in this way is directly related to many factors such as health status, diet, hygiene and sleep pattern.
How Do Problems with Sleeping Pattern Affect Immunity?
A healthy sleep It creates support for the immune system to maintain its healthy functioning. Sleeping in sufficient quantity and quality is of great importance in terms of creating a faster and more effective response to disease factors and reducing the severity of unwanted immune responses such as allergic reactions. At the same time, adequate sleep is necessary for the production of immune proteins, which are responsible for the defense system, to continue in a healthy way.
In the presence of problems such as insomnia, irregular sleep, sleep apnea, circadian rhythm disorders, the immune system cannot fulfill its function in a healthy way and weakens. This makes the body much more susceptible to many diseases, including Corona virus. At the same time, due to the inability to create the desired immune response, diseases are much more severe and difficult.
The most important reason why sleep is so effective on the immune system is that it provides physical rest. Physical rest is important in terms of both the healthy continuity of innate immunity and the maintenance of acquired immunity as it should be. Considering some scientific studies, it is observed that inflammation is caused during night sleep. It has been observed that the production of k cytokines increases, thereby strengthening the acquired immune system. It is also thought that sleep improves the memory of the adaptive immune system, just as it improves learning speed and memory in the brain.
As a result of developments such as cytokine increase in the immune system during sleep, it is emphasized that functions such as recognizing antigens in the defense system and developing the correct defense response to the right antigen are strengthened. Among the reasons why such immune-enhancing activities are performed during sleep are
- slowing of muscle activity and respiration while sleeping,
- increased energy that can be allocated to fight infection,
- the hormone melatonin reduces stress caused by inflammation. There are many situations that can be mentioned, such as helping.
What are the Harms of Insomnia?
Problems related to insomnia or sleep patterns and quality increase the likelihood of developing many acute and chronic diseases. It's a known fact. The most important reason for this is the above-mentioned relationship between sleep patterns and the immune system. The probability of contracting infectious diseases is much higher in individuals with diseases characterized by sleep disorders, who sleep less than 6-7 hours at night, or who do not have a sleep pattern.
The effect of sleep on increasing the probability of getting Corona virus infection and having a severe illness can be understood from here. However, lack of sleep is an important risk factor in the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases. In order to strengthen the immune system, the increased inflammation and cytokine production decrease close to getting enough sleep in the morning hours and reach normal levels. In individuals with insufficient sleep, however, as a result of the failure of this order, inflammation continues and leads to a low level of continuous negativity. This situation has long It has been associated with the development of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, depression, neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, insufficient sleep should be considered as a triggering factor in the development of many types of diseases.
How should sleep pattern be to be protected from coronavirus and other diseases?
A correct sleep pattern; Getting enough and uninterrupted sleep every night also means that the bedtime and departure times continue in a certain order. In order to improve sleep patterns, first of all, lifestyle and habits should be reviewed. In order for the body to start preparing itself for sleep when lying on the bed, the bed should only be used for sleep purposes, and different environments should be preferred to spend time during the day.
- Consumption of foods such as coffee, carbonated drinks and tea, which may disturb sleep, should be avoided before going to bed.
- Going to bed at approximately the same time every night and getting up at the same time in the morning is essential for a correct sleep pattern.
- Because of the importance of night sleep in terms of health, these hours should be adjusted to allow 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
- The use of light-emitting devices such as phones, tablets and computers after going to bed for a night's sleep is among the biggest enemies of sleep. These devices, which create artificial light, prevent the brain from preparing for sleep, making it difficult to fall asleep.
- Due to the same effect, the bedroom should also be completely dark, and a window and curtain arrangement should be created so that the room is illuminated with the sunrise in order to wake up in the morning.
- The uninterrupted night sleep is very important in terms of sleep efficiency. is another important factor. For this reason, in order to prevent the need for the toilet that will cause sleep interruption, too much water or drink should not be drunk before going to bed, the bedroom with the least noise should be preferred, and the behavior of delaying the alarm in the morning should be avoided.
- It is very important for those who have any acute or chronic sleep disorder to consult their physician about this issue and to stick to their treatment plan in line with their physician's recommendations. Otherwise, these people will have sleep problems. Since it will continue continuously, the immune system is adversely affected, and the susceptibility to the above-mentioned diseases due to insomnia increases significantly. With the treatment of these diseases, the harms of insomnia can be prevented. In addition, you can take precautions against diseases by paying attention to a healthy diet and regular exercise and having your health checks done on time. You can use the contact form on our website to reach us.
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