Getting a good night’s rest is vital to your well-being and health. According to a new study, losing sleep can negatively impact your immune system. Additionally, it has been associated with the development of certain diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. In this article, we will look deeper into the effects that losing sleep has on your body.
What Losing Sleep Does To Your Body
The researchers found that even one 24-hour cycle without sleep in healthy young individuals altered their immune cell profiles. These immune cells help regulate the immune system, and they start to resemble those of an obese person. This reveals that our immune systems are very sensitive to sleep and can quickly adapt to sleep pattern changes. If these shifts are persistent, it could result in long-term inflammation that increases the risk of developing disease.
Many studies have already revealed a link between sleep disturbances and various conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown that chronic inflammation can result in poor health outcomes. However, not enough is yet known about the direct influence sleep has on immune cells such as monocytes. These cells are regarded as the body’s first line of defense, detecting pathogens quickly and initiating a response from the immune system. For the study, the researchers analyzed the sleeping patterns of 237 healthy individuals with varying BMIs. They also took blood samples to make note of the different monocyte levels and inflammation markers.
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