Lack of sleep increases the risk of catching a cold

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Extract from the article: To fight illness effectively, the human body has its own mechanism, the immune system. But to avoid a weakening of the immune system, which could pave the way for infections such as the common cold

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To fight illness effectively, the human body has its own mechanism, the immune system. But to avoid a weakening of the immune system, which could pave the way for infections such as the common cold, certain conditions need to be met, including a good night's sleep. Researchers have shown that people who are sleep-deprived have a higher risk of catching a cold than those who get a good night's sleep.

According to the authors, sleep plays a regulatory role in the immune system. Lack of sleep therefore disrupts certain immune cells such as lymphocytes, which tend to migrate towards pathogen entry points as the night progresses. Levels of certain interleukins, proteins with antiviral properties, also fall after sleep deprivation. These are all factors that favour an inflammatory process or infection.

Sleep deprivation can have far more serious consequences than just colds. Previous studies have already highlighted the links between sleep deprivation and chronic illness, premature death, increased risk of disease and road accidents.

Whatever a person's age, level of stress, ethnic origin, education or income, they need between 7 and 9 hours' sleep a night to avoid a number of illnesses such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes.

William O.