In the fall, the number of colds increases, since the immune system does not always cope with a heavy load. A good night’s sleep helps to fully work the immune system. With its lack or violation of quality, immunity weakens and a person gets sick more often.
Sleep is an integral biological process, without sleep a person cannot live. Previously, it was believed that during sleep, the brain rests, its function is reduced. In fact, this is not the case. During sleep, the brain works even more intensively – but only its other parts. Those functions of the body that were inactive during wakefulness, including immunity, are activated. Healthy sleep gives the immune system the opportunity to recover and prepare for a new encounter with disease-causing bacteria.
Many specialists in the field of somnology confirm that too short or poor quality sleep reduces immunity and increases the body’s susceptibility to infectious diseases by 32%. It has been proven that just three hours less sleep is enough to reduce the efficiency of T-lymphocytes responsible for fighting pathogens.
Good sleep is important to health
Sleep is not only a time to rest and recuperate. During sleep, a whole cascade of processes takes place in the body to identify and eliminate violations that have occurred during the day. A person who sleeps little and poorly is more likely to get sick than people with healthy sleep.
Everyone knows that for strong immunity you need proper nutrition and vitamins. They help protect the body from respiratory infections, especially during the cold season. But as a prevention of acute respiratory infections, healthy, full sleep is also important.
The benefits of sleep
Sleeping is as natural and necessary for a person as drinking and eating. When a person sleeps, his physical and mental health is restored. Accordingly, a lack of sleep leads to somatic diseases, mental impairment. A person becomes inhibited, irritable, his ability to concentrate decreases. In some specialties that require special attention, such psychological disturbances can be dangerous.
Sleep is important for the immune system to work – when a person is asleep, his immune system is working. It is the night, uninterrupted sleep that helps to strengthen the immune system. Poor sleep or frequent awakening leads to a weakened immune system and more frequent colds.
Sleep stages
While a person sleeps, his brain processes the information received during the day. The stages of sleep depend on the intensity of this work:
slow; fast .
Constant stress builds up over the course of the day and reaches its maximum in the evening. And when a person goes to bed, he does not stop thinking about his problems, he cannot relax and fall asleep.
Can lack of sleep negatively affect immunity?
Sleep is the basic biological need of the body, without which a person cannot function normally. It has been proven that sleep deficiency or poor sleep quality negatively affects the cells of the immune system, as a result, the body becomes susceptible to various viral and infectious diseases. So, it was found that one night, where sleep lasts only 4-5 hours, reduces the protective capabilities of the immune system by almost 70%. In addition to negatively affecting the immune system, lack of sleep disrupts cognitive processes in the body, hence – bad mood, impairment of memory and memorization, exposure to stress and depression.
Studies conducted by scientists from different countries prove that people who sleep less than 5 hours a day suffer from acute respiratory infections 4.5 times more often than people who sleep 7 hours or more.
How long does it take to sleep to maintain strong immunity
An adult needs 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per day to maintain good health. This figure is individual, for someone 6 hours is enough, and someone does not get enough sleep in 8. The duration of sleep depends on age. Newborn babies sleep 16 hours a day, and older people 4-5 hours.
For immunity, it is not only the quantity that is important, but also the quality of sleep.
Sleep problems affect 30% of the world’s population. These are insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, restless interrupted sleep. For health and strong immunity, sleep should be of high quality. What does it mean:
- continuous;
- deep;
- without nightmares.
After a healthy sleep for 6-8 hours, a person wakes up rested, ready for work. If you sleep for 10 hours in a row, but constantly wake up from nightmares, the quality of life will significantly decrease.
Poor Sleep Causes:
constant stress at work or at home
overeating at night
chronic diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys
neurosis, mental illness
depression
stuffy room
noisy surroundings
uncomfortable place to sleep
These factors prevent a person from falling asleep, and poor falling asleep leads to a disorder of the entire sleep period.
How to improve sleep
To improve sleep, you need to eliminate all interfering factors. Prepare for falling asleep in advance.
Establish a diet. Preference should be given to light, natural food. Dinner should consist mainly of vegetables, the last meal should be no later than two hours before falling asleep.
Provide an environment conducive to falling asleep in the room. It is best to sleep on a bed with an orthopedic mattress and a low pillow. The bed should be so wide that the falling asleep can take the most comfortable position for himself.
t Provide a comfortable place to sleep. It is best to sleep on a bed with an orthopedic mattress and a low pillow. The bed should be so wide that the falling asleep can take the most comfortable position for himself.
Provide silence and darkness. The bright light makes it difficult to fall asleep, so the bedroom should have dark blackout curtains.
Reduce stress levels. It is impossible to influence some stress factors, but a person can change his attitude towards them. From the controlled stimuli, one can distinguish watching action films or reading books, playing computer games, communicating with unpleasant people.
To relax before bed, you can use breathing exercises, listen to classical music or sounds of nature. Walks in the fresh air are also useful.
Waking up properly is just as important as falling asleep. Most working people have to get up early in the morning, which not everyone can do. To make the awakening as pleasant as possible, you need to provide a comfortable temperature in the room, set pleasant music on the alarm clock.
People with insomnia or poor sleep quality get infectious diseases about five times more often than those who sleep well. This is due to the peculiarities of the immune system, which collects information about pathogens during a night’s sleep. Sleep is influenced by many factors – stress, poor diet, strenuous exercise. To get sick less often, it is necessary to establish a sleep pattern and improve its quality. If you cannot do this on your own, you need to consult a doctor and ask to prescribe a drug for insomnia.