If you’re going to the doctor for a vaccination — whether for COVID-19, the flu, or travel to another country — make sure you’ve had a full, restful night’s sleep before you go.
According to a new study, sleeping less than six hours the night before the shot may decrease your body’s response to the vaccine, limiting protection against the virus or bacteria.
How Does Adequate Sleep Affect The Immune System?
The effect of inadequate sleep on immunological response to a vaccine was only scientifically significant in men.
It is well known that people’s immunological responses to vaccination differ depending on factors such as age, biological sex, and overall health. Prior research has also suggested that sleep length may play an impact, however, the findings have been equivocal.
The study, which was published in Current Biology, discovered clear evidence that sleeping for less than six hours lowers the immunological response to vaccination in men — however, the effect was more varied in women, most likely due to shifting sex hormone levels.
The body must go through the four stages of sleep numerous times per night. Our bodies begin to slow down their rhythms during the first and second stages.
This prepares us for the third stage, which is a deep, slow-wave sleep in which the body repairs itself on a cellular level, repairing damage from the day’s wear and tear, and consolidating memories into long-term storage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most adults require seven to eight hours of reasonably undisturbed sleep to achieve restorative sleep. Sleeping six or fewer hours per night, as many individuals do, especially during a busy work week, can lead to a slew of health issues.
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Link Between Vaccine And Immune System
The new study, which was published on Monday in the journal Current Biology, performed a meta-analysis of previous data on sleep and immune function after vaccination against influenza A and Hepatitis A and B.
There was a “strong” link, especially for men, in studies that used objective measurements, such as asking patients to come to a sleep lab or using devices that can precisely track sleep.
According to the study, persons who slept for less than six hours made fewer antibodies than those who slept for seven hours or more. Those aged 18 to 60 were more affected than those over 65 by the decrease in immunological response.
The team did do an analysis, which revealed that if a person did not get enough sleep before getting a Covid-19 injection, their antibody response to the vaccine would be decreased by the equivalent of two months — based simply on their body’s initial response.
More research is needed to discover the intricacies of poor sleep’s impact on the immune system, according to Dr. Phyllis Zee, neurology professor and director of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine.
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