Can Sleep Quality Affect Your Immune System?
Do you sleep for hours and still not feel well-rested when you wake up?
Are you worried that your sleep quality might be impacting your immune system?
If this sounds like you, it may be worth looking into natural immune system health solutions to improve your sleep quality and other aspects of your health.
As a naturopathic doctor in south Ottawa, I have a special interest in immune system health.
And with the recent COVID-19 outbreak, immune system health seems to be on more and more peoples’ minds.
To be very clear, at the time this article is being written, there is no evidence that any treatments, naturopathic or otherwise, can treat or prevent COVID-19.
However, supporting your immune system is never a bad idea, and one of the ways you can do so is by improving your sleep quality.
But what exactly are the other aspects of your health that are linked to sleep?
And if you want to get better sleep, where do you start?
Read on to find out more.
Why Do We Have To Sleep?
You’d think that’s a simple question to answer, like something one of my kids would ask when it’s bedtime.
But while “because I said so” might cut it for them, science has yet to come up with a single reason for the rest of us.
There are several interesting theories, though.
One of these theories is called the energy conservation theory, which suggests that sleep serves to reduce an individual’s energy demand.
Another theory is the restorative theory, which argues that sleep is an opportunity for the body to repair and rejuvenate itself both mentally and physically.
Our need for sleep could also be explained by the brain plasticity theory, which recognizes that sleep is related to the development of your brain and would explain why sleep deprivation makes it harder to focus or perform tasks.
How Sleep Can Affect Your Immune System
The link between sleep and the immune system has been well-established by scientific studies.
Several studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus.
Lack of sleep can also lead to a slower recovery time from illness.
As you sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, some of which help promote sleep.
You need an increase of certain cytokines when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you’re under stress.
But sleep deprivation may lower production of these protective cytokines, as well as infection-fighting antibodies and cells.
One2011 study shows that sleep and the circadian system have a strong regulatory influence on immune functions.
The study investigated the normal sleep–wake cycle and showed that immune parameters, or physical barriers created by the immune system, peak during early nocturnal sleep, and that circulating numbers of immune cells peak during daytime wakefulness.
The results of the study suggest that a regular sleep-wake cycle leads to a well-regulated immune system.
Another study conducted in 2002 investigated the restorative theory that sleep is important for the proper functioning of the immune system.
The study analyzed the severity of disordered sleep in depressed and alcoholic subjects, finding that lower sleep quality correlates with declines in natural and cellular immunity.
Regardless of whether or not you are depressed or struggle with alcohol use, better sleep leads to better immune system health.
A 2015 literature review analyzed several studies that found that sleep, sleep loss and disrupted sleep are strongly linked to acute and chronic inflammation.
The review notes that many studies of healthy human volunteers subjected to sleep restriction or sleep deprivation showed changes in circulating pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, soluble receptors, inflammatory signaling pathways, and innate immunity.
One particular group that stood out to researchers was shift workers, who may be at increased risk of developing inflammatory diseases, cancers, and diabetes.
Collectively, the review states, there is ample evidence that disrupting sleep alters multiple pathways in a manner that results in an inflammatory state, and reiterates that sleep is a critical component of human immunity.
Natural Solutions To Improve Your Sleep
Now that you know a little more about how sleep affects the immune system, are you interested in improving your sleep quality?
These five natural solutions are things you can do at home to be more well-rested and help your body stay healthy.
1. Sleep In 100% Darkness
A 2013 study found that exposure to light from self-luminous displays may be linked to increased risk for sleep disorders because these devices emit optical radiation at short wavelengths, close to the peak sensitivity of melatonin suppression.
Melatonin is a hormone your body produces naturally, which signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep.
Sleeping in complete darkness, could be a way to prevent sleep disorders and may help you fall asleep faster.
You could also try to avoid using electronic devices that emit light via screens, or use your device’s night shift mode.
This mode shifts the colours of your screen display to the warmer end of the colour spectrum after dark, which may help you get a better night’s sleep.
Go to the display and brightness settings on your device to set this up.
Ideally, though, sleep with your device in another room altogether, and avoid using it for at least an hour before bedtime.
2. Keep The Temperature In Your Room Cool
Maintaining healthy sleeping habits is a complex balance between behaviour, environment and circadian rhythm.
One environmental factor that can change the quality of your sleep is temperature.
A 1994 studyfound that, to maximize the quality of your sleep, the temperature of your bedroom should be within the thermoneutrality zone.
According to the study, thermoneutrality is reached for an environmental temperature of 30-32 degrees C without night clothing or of 16-19 degrees with pyjamas and at least one sheet.
Try turning down your thermostat at night and see what happens.
3. Supplement With Melatonin
Melatonin levels naturally rise in the evening and fall in the morning.
More melatonin may help you sleep, and it is for this reason that melatonin supplements have become a popular sleeping aid, particularly in instances where the melatonin cycle is disrupted, such as jet lag or shift work.
A 2013 study found that melatonin demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing sleep latencyand increasing total sleep time.
This supplement may benefit people with sleep disorders and shift workers.
4. Supplement With Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that the body changes into serotonin.
You might know serotonin as the hormone that increases happiness, but it also plays a part in how well you sleep.
A 1989 study evaluated tryptophan as a treatment for insomnia, and found that it is effective in reducing sleep onset time on the first night of administration.
The study also found that in cases of chronic insomnia or in more severe insomnias characterized by both sleep onset and sleep maintenance problems, taking tryptophan regularly can produce the same effects.
5. Take Skullcap
Skullcap is a botanical medicine extract with many uses.
One of the substances found in the plant can cause drowsiness and may be an effective sleep aid.
A 2014 study investigated the effects of romaine lettuce leaves extract and skullcap root extract and their mixture on sleep behaviors in vertebrate models.
The study found that both extracts, when taken together, effectively improved sleep behaviour and that the mixture can be used as an herbal agent for sleep disorders.
Book An Appointment With Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, Naturopathic Doctor
Do you struggle with poor sleep quality and want to know more about some of the naturopathic solutions you could try, like lifestyle counselling or acupuncture?
Would you like to improve your immune system?
Or do you just want a better night’s sleep?
If so, book an appointment at Dawdy Naturopathic.
I’m here to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
Contact me, Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, today.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND
Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic
6899 Sunset Blvd,
Greely, ON K4P 1C5
-https://g.page/dawdynaturopathicclinic
Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic offers a variety of naturopathic health solutions for individuals and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area.
