Getting enough sleep at night can help curb the risk of COVID-19 as well as developing more serious illnesses, new research suggests.
The study included more than 2,800 front-line health workers from six countries who were regularly exposed to COVID-19 from last spring to last fall. It was found that for every extra hour of sleep that workers had at night, their risk of COVID-19 decreased by 12%.
And those who said they were fighting self-reported exhaustion had a higher risk of contracting the virus. They also tended to remain ill for a longer period of time and were more likely than those who said they were not burned to become seriously ill.
“Lack of sleep, severe sleep problems and exhaustion can be risk factors for COVID-19 in health care workers,” said Steven Holfinger, a sleep medicine expert at Wexner Medical Center at State University. Ohio, who did not work in the new studio.
Holfinger added that he believes “additional research would be helpful in better defining this risk” and warned not to jump to conclusions based on the new study, recently published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health.
On the one hand, the study did not necessarily take into account all the reasons why exhausted health workers may be more likely to present COVID-19. For example, they may have simply been seeing more patients. Holinger also noted that the pandemic has evolved so much since last spring, especially with the advent of new variants, that the “data must be interpreted with caution” today.
However, new research is not the first to suggest that there is a link between sleep and the risk of COVID-19.
A small study in China found that people who didn’t get much sleep the week before going down with COVID-19 seemed to have more serious results. Researchers are also exploring the possibility that melatonin, the hormone that plays a crucial role in the sleep-wake cycle, may help prevent COVID-19.
Again, these investigations (and others) are inconclusive and experts warn against overinterpretation. It’s not like you regularly rest a good night all you need to avoid COVID-19.
But sleep is an important factor in immune function.
“As our body fights infections, we release sleep-promoting cytokines, causing an increase in sleep during infections,” Holfinger said. “We assume that this is beneficial for our immune system to fight infections, so the current hypothesis is that sleep is beneficial to our immune health.”
And during a pandemic, when so many factors that determine the individual risk of COVID-19 are completely out of anyone’s control, it’s fascinating to consider that there could be another health habit that many (though certainly not all) have.
As writer James Hamblin, a board-certified public health physician, wrote in a recent Atlantic article on the connection between sleep and COVID-19: sleeping more? “
Unfortunately, even in non-pandemic times, millions of Americans do not get enough rest. One-third of adults do not reach the recommended seven or more hours per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and estimates say 1 in 4 Americans develop insomnia during a given year. The CDC declared sleep disorders a public health crisis, even before COVID-19.
And during the pandemic, Americans sleep even less.
Experts have coined a new term for coronavirus-era sleep problems: “coronasomnia” (also “COVID-dream”). Sleep medicine prescriptions have jumped. People face significant chronic stress and are isolated. Emerging evidence also suggests that the virus itself hinders sleep among those who have recovered, especially long-distance COVID-19.
Of course, the main means to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 remain the same as ever: masking, hand washing, social distancing, and widespread vaccination.
But to the extent that people are capable, they should also prioritize sleep. Even if ongoing research on sleep and the COVID-19 link does not demonstrate a linear connection, sleep is in many ways the basis of physical and mental health.
“It’s very common for people not to be allowed enough time in bed at night. Therefore, people who become intentionally deprived of sleep (staying up late watching TV or waking up early to be productive) are likely to reduce their immune system’s response to infections, “Holfinger said. .
“Avoiding sleep deprivation will not only probably help your immune system, but it will also help your overall quality of life.”
Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available from the publication, but orientations may change as scientists find out more about the virus. Consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most up-to-date recommendations.