A top sleep is definitely an important element to hope to be and stay in good health. Published in the magazine Frontiers in Psychiatry (Source 1), a new study finds a link between sleep duration and susceptibility to infection.
Researchers here distributed questionnaires to 1,848 patients, in order to collect data both on their sleep and on their recent infections. Participants were asked to describe the quality and quantity of sleep, as well as their infection status and any use of antibiotics over the past three months. The survey also contained a rating scale to identify cases of chronic insomnia.
By cross-checking the data collected, the researchers discovered that people who reported sleeping less than 6 hours per night were 27% more likely to report an infection. But beware, excessive sleep would not do better, since people who sleep more than 9 hours per night were 44% more likely than others to have had one or more infections in the past three months. Sleeping less than 6 hours per night or suffering from chronic insomnia was also associated with an increased risk of using antibiotics.
A close bond that goes both ways
« The higher risk of reporting infection among patients who reported short or long sleep duration is not so surprising, as we know infection can cause both poor sleep and drowsiness “, nuanced Dr. Ingeborg Forthun, co-author of the study, in a press release (Source 2). “ But the higher risk of infection in people with chronic insomnia indicates that the direction of this relationship also goes the other way: poor sleep can make you more susceptible to infection “, she added.
Note that the study is only observational and only reveals a correlation link and not causation. The researchers themselves reported possible biases to consider, such as possible underlying health conditions. That said, they believe that their sample of people is relatively robust, and that thus these results, which highlight close links between sleep and infectious risks, deserve investigation.
« Sleep might be a potential target when developing measures to prevent infection and to reduce the use of antibiotics “, they estimated in conclusion.