Sleep to Prevent the Common Cold

by Kara Gobron, PhD

A recent study(1) suggests that sleep quality is an important predictor of susceptibility to the common cold. The study examined whether decreased sleep duration and efficiency in the weeks prior to exposure increased susceptibility to the cold virus. Cohen and colleagues took a total of 153 men and women (ages 21-55) and for 14 days, the subjects reported their sleep duration and efficiency (% of time actually asleep) for the previous night and whether they felt rested. Averages were then calculated over this 14-day baseline period. The subjects were then quarantined,(2) administered nasal drops containing rhinovirus, and monitored for the development of a clinical cold (infection in the presence of objective signs of illness) the day before and 5 days after exposure. Results showed that there was a graded association, with participants with less than 7 hours of sleep being approximately 3 times more likely to develop a cold than those with 8 hours. The effect of sleep efficiency was also graded, with subjects having 92% efficiency being 5.5 times more likely to develop a cold than those with 98% efficiency or more. The authors concluded that poorer sleep efficiency and shorter sleep duration in the weeks preceding exposure to the rhinovirus were associated with decreased resistance.

This is not the first time that sleep has been linked to immune function. Sleep, or lack of it, has been found to affect most cells of the immune system. Sleep is extremely important for overall health. Sleep deprivation has been found to reduce natural killer cells and cellular immune responses including circulating levels of white blood cells and lymphokines.(3) It also affects certain cytokines, circadian levels of plasma IL-1, as well as cortisol.(4) Sleep/wake cycles are also related to immune function during the menstrual cycle of healthy young women.(2) Sleep has been linked to wide array of disease states including lupus(5), cardiovascular (specifically in those with obstructive sleep apnea)(6), mood and psychiatric disorders(7-9), neurodegenerative diseases(10), and cancer.(11,12)

Physicians need to stress the importance of sleep and sleep hygiene to their patients as part of a healthy lifestyle and should inquire about sleep patterns as a possible indicator of emerging health issues. To participate in other activities on sleep visit www.neuroscienceCME.com.

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References

1. Cohen S, Doyle WJ, Alper CM, Janicki-Deverts D, Turner RB. Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold. Arch Intern Med 2009;169:62-67.
2. Moldofsky H, Lue FA, Shahal B, Jiang CG, Gorczynski RM. Diurnal sleep/wake-related immune functions during the menstrual cycle of healthy young women. J Sleep Res 1995;4:150-159.
3. Irwin M, McClintick J, Costlow C, Fortner M, White J, Gillin JC. Partial night sleep deprivation reduces natural killer and cellular immune responses in humans. FASEB J 1996;10:643-653.
4. Moldofsky H. Central nervous system and peripheral immune functions and the sleep-wake system. J Psychiatry Neurosci 1994;19:368-374.
5. Isenberg DA, Crisp AJ, Morrow WJ, Newham D, Snaith ML. Variation in circulating immune complex levels with diet, exercise, and sleep: a comparison between normal controls and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Rheum Dis 1981;40:466-469.
6. Yilmaz F, Ozyildirim S, Talay F, Karaaslan K, Gunduz H. Obstructive sleep apnea as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Cardiol J 2007;14:534-537.
7. Straub RH, Mannel DN. How the immune system puts the brain to sleep. Nat Med 1999;5:877-879.
8. Armitage R. Sleep and circadian rhythms in mood disorders. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl 2007:104-115.
9. Peterson MJ, Benca RM. Sleep in mood disorders. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2006;29:1009-1032; abstract ix.
10. Hauw JJ. The neuropathology of sleep in human neurodegenerative diseases. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 2006;46:788-789.
11. Sateia MJ, Lang BJ. Sleep and cancer: recent developments. Curr Oncol Rep 2008;10:309-318.
12. Blask DE. Melatonin, sleep disturbance and cancer risk. Sleep Med Rev 2008.