Improving Immunity Part 1 - Sleep
Tanner Mackenzie • April 10, 2021
The Benefits of Sleep
Immunity is a complex and multi-faceted area of study. As far back as 430BC, during the plague of Athens, humans were taking note of our bodies’ ability to fight off disease. Immunity continues to be a very active, evolving area of study. There are some things you can do that have been proven time and time again to positively impact your immune system’s performance In this three part blog series, we’ll take a look at three different basic elements of human nature that can impact your immunity.
Are You Getting Optimal Sleep?
Sleep is absolutely critical for optimal human function. When someone comes in to train at Nova Health Club, one of the first things we usually ask is “How did you sleep last night?” Not only does sleep impact your training performance, it also has an effect on your immune system. Getting more than six hours of sleep
reduces your chances
of catching a cold. Logically, this relationship between sleep and immunity should look different for those with greater sleep requirements. If your optimal amount of sleep is eight hours per night, your immune system is likely strongest with this eight hours rather than six.
Correlation between Sleep and Immune System
Recent studies have suggested that a circadian clock drives your immune function. Sleep restriction can disrupt your immune circadian rhythm by interacting with your immune cells. A recent study
created a model
for the relationship between sleep and immunity. The researchers formalized the idea that sleep primes immune cells, and provides a timing signal for the circadian clocks that produce new blood cells. White blood cells, of course, protect the body from infection. If they are not being produced in the right amounts at the right time, our immunity is compromised.
Bollinger et al.
suggest that “sleep disruption desynchronizes these clocks and, through this mechanism, deregulates immune responses.” In other words, if you want your immune system to work properly, get enough sleep!
Your sleep also changes when you are fighting off an infection. Your immune system signals changes to the brain that fragment your non-REM sleep and suppress your REM sleep. Researchers hypothesize that this
brings about fever, improving your recovery from sickness. Whether you are healthy, or sick, your sleep works to optimize your immune function for whatever situation you find yourself in.
Reduce Screen Light
One great way to improve your sleep hygiene, thereby boosting your immune system is to limit blue light into the evenings. This doesn’t mean you have to get off your screen entirely as soon as the sun sets but rather being aware of how late in the day you are going with your eyes fixed on a screen. With many of us working on computers past sundown, you should consider installing
f.lux. It is a free program that allows you to automatically change your computer’s display to warmer colors early in the morning and late at night. Windows and Macs have Night Light and Night Shift respectively, which perform in a similar way, but with less features.
In a world where we are trying to avoid illness especially related to Covid, focusing on sleep is one of the best things you can implement to maintain your health and strengthen your immunity. Let’s get those zzz’s!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Improving Immunity series, Diet!
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