SIB #431 - Sleep and Immune Function

The Study:  Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold.

 The Facts: 

a. It is thought that sleep quality affects immunity. 

b. A lowering of immunity might dispose a person to catching the common cold. 

c. They looked at 153 healthy subjects, ages 21 to 55. 

d. The study lasted 14 days. 

e. The subjects reported their amount of sleep time, the percentage of time in bed that they were asleep (this was termed “sleep efficiency”) and if they felt rested from the previous night’s sleep.  

f. After the 14 days: “…participants were quarantined, administered nasal drops containing a rhinovirus, and monitored for the development of a clinical cold (infection in the presence of objective signs of illness) on the day before and for 5 days after exposure.”  (Note the rhinovirus was administered one day after the quarantine started.) 

g. The results: “Of the 153 subjects, 135 (88.24%) were infected; 54 (35.29%) developed a cold defined as infection and the objective cold criterion and 66 (43.14%) developed a cold defined as infection and the subjective (Jackson) criterion.” 

h. “When sleep habits were treated as continuous variables, and age and antibody titer were entered as controls, both shorter sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency were associated with increased risk of developing a cold by both objectives…for duration and…for sleep efficiency and subjective criteria.” (emphasis ours) 

i. “Percent nights rested was unrelated to either cold criterion.” 

Take Home: Poor sleep quality (duration and efficiency) appears related to decreased immune function.  

Reviewer's Comments: I think most of us area aware of the importance of sleep to our general health. This study highlights the relationship between sleep and immune function.

Reviewer:  Roger Coleman DC

Editor: Mark R. Payne DC

Reference: Sheldon Cohen, William J Doyle, Curneyt M Alper et.al. Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Jan 12;169(1):62-7.doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2008.505 

Link to Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19139325/

Link to Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2629403/