{"id":1548,"date":"2026-04-02T12:15:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryodev1.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=1548"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:15:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:15:03","slug":"learn-how-sleep-immunity-are-linked-for-optimum-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/blog\/learn-how-sleep-immunity-are-linked-for-optimum-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn How Sleep & Immunity are Linked For Optimum Health!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleep. We all wish we had more of it. Yet it\u2019s still. So. Elusive. And while yawning and feeling tired all the time can be a bummer, a lack of zzz\u2019s can actually have a big impact on your health. Experts say you should aim to get between\u00a0seven and eight hours<\/a>\u00a0of shut-eye each night, but what does that really do for you?<\/p>\n

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1. Sleep Can Boost Your Immune System<\/b><\/h4>\n

When your body gets the sleep it needs, your immune cells and proteins get the rest they need to fight off whatever comes their way \u2014 like colds or the flu. And according to the well-rested sleep specialists over at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,\u00a0proper sleep can also make vaccines more effective, which is obviously a plus.<\/p>\n

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2. Gaining Zzz\u2019s Can Help Prevent Weight Gain<\/b><\/h4>\n

Racking up eight full hours of sleep isn\u2019t going to result in losing the pounds by itself, but it\u00a0can help<\/a>\u00a0your body from packing on the pounds. If you don\u2019t get enough sleep, your body produces ghrelin, a hormone that boosts appetite. Your body also decreases the production of leptin, a hormone that tells you you\u2019re full. Put \u2019em both together and that\u2019s one dangerous combo for late-night snacking, my friend. Plus, when you don\u2019t sleep enough you get more stressed and don\u2019t have the energy to fight off junk food cravings. We\u2019re exhausted just thinking about it.<\/p>\n

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3. Sleep Can Strengthen Your Heart<\/b><\/h4>\n

Not getting enough sleep can lead to heart health problems like high blood pressure or heart attacks. That\u2019s because lack of sleep can cause your body to release cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers your heart to work harder. Just like your immune system, your heart needs rest in order to function powerfully and properly. Just another reason to \u201cheart\u201d sleep.<\/p>\n

4. Better Sleep = Better Mood<\/b><\/h4>\n

There is some truth in the old saying, \u201cGetting up on the right side of the bed.\u201d It has nothing to do with which side of the bed you roll out of, but sleeping can lead to good moods.\u00a0 And really, it makes sense. If you sleep well, you wake up feeling rested. Being rested helps your energy levels soar. When your energy is up, life\u2019s little challenges won\u2019t annoy you as much. When you\u2019re not annoyed, you\u2019re not as angry. If you\u2019re not angry, you\u2019re happy. So, go to bed early and everyone around you will thank you for it.<\/p>\n

5. Sleeping Can Increase Productivity<\/b><\/h4>\n

You may think you\u2019re wowing your boss by burning the midnight oil, but putting off a good night\u2019s rest could be having an adverse effect at work or school. In fact, sleep has been linked to improved concentration and higher cognitive function, both of which can help you be successful at work. But one restless night can leave you feeling frazzled, making it more likely that you\u2019ll make mistakes that a pot of coffee won\u2019t be able to fix. Speaking of coffee, the more tired you feel, the more likely you are to reach for that afternoon cup. And while that may seem to fix the afternoon crash problem you experience, the extra caffeine late in the day could set you up for another sleepless night. Talk about a counterproductive cycle.<\/p>\n

6. Lack of Sleep Can Be Dangerous. Literally.<\/b><\/h4>\n

According to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, you\u2019re twice as likely to get in a car accident when you\u2019re cruising on six to seven hours of sleep compared to if you get a full eight hours. Sleeping less than five hours and your chances of a crash quadruple! That\u2019s because your reaction time slows way down when your brain isn\u2019t fully rested. We don\u2019t know about you, but those statistics have us ready to climb into our PJs and hit the hay ASAP.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/h2>\n

7. Sleep Can Increase Exercise Performanc<\/b>e<\/h4>\n

Someone studied the\u00a0effects of sleep deprivation on basketball players<\/a>\u00a0and guess what they found? When they didn\u2019t sleep well, they weren\u2019t very good basketball players. (#DUH) You might be thinking, \u201dSo what? I\u2019m only MVP in my dreams.\u201d Well, sleep affects all types of exercise performance. Under-the-covers recovery helps with hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and muscle recovery. Plus, depriving yourself of sleep can have a\u00a0negative impact<\/a>\u00a0on strength and power.<\/p>\n

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8. Sleep Improves Memory<\/b><\/h4>\n

Even though sleep gives your body the rest it needs,\u00a0your mind is still hard at work<\/a>. It\u2019s actually processing and consolidating your memories from the day. If you don\u2019t get enough sleep, who knows where those memories go. Or worse, your mind might actually create false memories.<\/p>\n

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The bottom line: Sleep is good. And necessary.\u00a0Roy Kohler, MD<\/a>, who specializes in sleep medicine at SCL Health in Montana, reaffirms all we know about the benefits of sleep, citing research that shows people who get less sleep tend to be heavier, eat more, have a higher BMI, and are more likely to be diabetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsistent sleep of seven hours a night is what\u2019s recommended for adults just for daytime functioning\u2014being on task, being alert for the day and being able to concentrate and not be so moody and tired during the day<\/i>,\u201d says Dr. Kohler.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Sleep Deprivation Linked to Immune Response<\/b><\/p>\n

Research has demonstrated, however, that sleep deprivation hurts the body\u2019s first immune response, or the innate immune system, which acts immediately to prevent the spread and movement of foreign pathogens.<\/p>\n

One example is a study of exposure to the common cold virus exposure among two groups, one that had more than 7 hours of sleep and the other with less than 6 hours of sleep. The group that got less than 6 hours of nightly sleep for a week before exposure to the virus were four times more likely to be infected than the group that got more than 7 hours of nightly rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe innate system works at the beginning<\/em>,\u201d Im explains. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t care what type of organisms are infecting you.\u00a0<\/em>Chronic partial sleep deprivation may negatively affect this innate immune system more than the adaptive immune system<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Ruth Benca<\/a>, chair of the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior<\/a>, pioneered studies in the 1980s and 1990\u2019s revealing that sleep deprivation may be detrimental to this first-response immune system. Her work demonstrated no harm, however, to the adaptive immune system, which is the second response the body makes to combat specific threats like viruses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe white blood cells or proteins that are working as a barrier in innate immunity may be affected by sleep deprivation<\/em>,\u201d Dr. Benca says.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople shouldn\u2019t worry about not getting a good night\u2019s sleep for one night or a couple of nights in these anxiety-provoking times.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

We have all heard the common\u00a0wisdom<\/a>\u00a0that when we get cold or flu, recovery is helped by drinking plenty of liquids and rest.\u00a0 It turns out that the underlying causes of the benefits of sleep for getting better are well known based on scientific research. Among the restorative functions that occur during sleep, the immune system releases cytokines, proteins that are the body\u2019s natural defense for fighting infections. What is less well-known is that\u00a0sleeping<\/a>\u00a0poorly results in more susceptibility to infection, and likewise reduces the efficacy of vaccinations.<\/p>\n

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Reference:<\/p>\n

www.sclhealth.org<\/p>\n

www.ucihealth.org<\/p>\n

www.psychologytoday.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sleep. We all wish we had more of it. Yet it\u2019s still. So. Elusive. And while yawning and feeling tired all the time can be a bummer, a lack of zzz\u2019s can actually have a big impact on your health. Experts say you should aim to get between\u00a0seven and eight hours\u00a0of shut-eye each night, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryo.com\/bh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}