A good night’s sleep boosts the power of vaccines, a new study suggests. According to the results, sleeping less than six hours produces significantly less antibodies e, compared to people who sleep more than seven hours.
The immune response deficit is the equivalent of antibodies that decline after two months, according to the University of Chicago and researchers from the French National Institute of Health. While men faced the consequences of too little sleep, its impact on women varied. The variation was attributed to hormones.
Having “good sleep not only amplifies but can also extend the duration of vaccine protection,” said Eve Van Cauter, senior author of the study and professor at the University of Chicago, in a announcement press release, cited by Study Finds.
“When you look at the variability in the protection afforded by Covid-19 vaccines – people who have pre-existing conditions are less protected, men are less protected than women and obese people are less protected than people who don’t. obesity,” he explained.
“All these are factors upon which a person has no controlbut it can change your sleep,” he continued.
Poor sleep weakens antibodies in adults aged 18 to 60 more than in people over 65. This isn’t surprising to the team, as older adults generally sleep less anyway, meaning there’s less of an impact on their immune health.
The results also showed the same pattern when the team measured sleep with motion-detecting wristwatches, in sleep labs, and through self-reported ratings.
For the study, the team analyzed and summarized seven investigations into viral infections. flu and hepatitis A and B. They compared the antibody response for those who slept a “normal” amount – between seven and nine hours – with individuals who slept less than six hours.
In the study, published in Current Biologydifferences between people aged under and over 65, and between genders were also analysed.
“We know from immunological studies that sex hormones influence the immune system,” said Karine Spiegel of the French National Institute of Health and Medicine.
“In women, immunity is influenced by the state of the menstrual cyclethe use of contraceptives and the menopause and post-menopausal state, but unfortunately, none of the studies we summarized had any data on sex hormone levels”, he said.
“We need to understand sex differences, which days around the time of vaccination are most important, and exactly how much sleep is needed so we can give people guidance. We will be vaccinating millions and millions of people in the coming years and this is an aspect that can help maximize protection ”, he added.
ZAP // 
