We all understand how important getting enough sleep is for our overall mental health. But, according to a new study published in the journal Current Biology on March 13, it looks like getting the right amount of sleep can also help your body respond better when you get vaccinated. Researchers say that people who only got six hours or less of sleep every night made fewer antibodies than those who had seven hours of sleep or more – practically equal to not having any vaccine within two months.
Having a good sleep can make the vaccine protection period both longer and stronger, according to two scientists from the University of Chicago and the French National Institute of Health and Medicine. Their research on this was published in 2002.
When the new virus called COVID-19 started, people all around the world worked hard to come up with a vaccination for it. Two scientists, Spiegel and Van Cauter, decided to research how much sleep affects the success of getting this vaccine.
The scientists did research by looking in books, and then combined the ideas of seven different studies to see how vaccines like influenza and hepatitis A and B impact our bodies. They compared people who slept 7-9 hours a night – just like the National Sleep Foundation says is healthy for adults – with people who only got 6 hours of sleep or less. They also noticed any differences between men and women, as well as adults over 65 years old and younger adults.
Scientists recently did a study that showed sleeping fewer than six hours per night weakens the body’s ability to respond to vaccinations. This effect was only seen in men, not women. Scientists think this has something to do with changes in female hormones.
“Studies have shown that hormones can change the way our immune system works,” says Spiegel. “For women, these changes depend on the time in their menstrual cycle, whether they take any form of birth control, and if they are going through menopause or have already gone through it. However, no studies included data about the exact levels of sex hormones.”
Not getting enough sleep has a bigger impact on adults aged 18-60 than on people over 65. That’s because older adults already don’t get as much sleep, so going from seven hours of sleep per night to six isn’t such a big change.
Some studies monitored how long people sleep by tracking their movements on their wristwatch or in a special room, while others just asked them. For both types of study, those who slept less had weaker antibodies. The effects of less sleep were stronger if it was measured more precisely, as some people may not remember exactly how long they slept.
It’s important to get enough sleep because it can help your body protect itself from diseases like COVID-19. People have less control over certain things, such as pre-existing conditions and gender, but they can take steps to modify their sleeping habits. With changes in sleep, people may be able to improve their overall immunity.
Researchers say that we need to know more about sleep and vaccination. We should look at differences between genders, the most important days around vaccine time and how much rest is necessary so everyone can stay safe. In the next few years, millions of people will be vaccinated, so we must find ways to maximize protection.
Studies have found a connection between sleeping enough and how well vaccines work. If you don’t get enough sleep, it might affect how the vaccine works in your body. It is important to know if this is true because vaccines help keep us healthy and safe.
Reference: “A meta-analysis of the associations between insufficient sleep duration and antibody response to vaccination” by Karine Spiegel, Amandine E. Rey, Anne Cheylus, Kieran Ayling, Christian Benedict, Tanja Lange, Aric A. Prather, Daniel J. Taylor, Michael R. Irwin and Eve Van Cauter, 13 March 2023, Current Biology.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.017
