Lack Of Sleep Might Increase Your Chances Of Getting Covid-19, Study Finds

According to a new study, disrupted sleep, insomnia and daily burnout are all linked to a higher risk of coronavirus infection, more severe Covid-19 symptoms and longer recovery periods in high-risk healthcare workers.

The observational study, published in the online journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, found that for every hour of extra sleep the healthcare worker got they lowered their odds of becoming infected with Covid-19 by 12%.

“This study spotlights an often neglected area of wellbeing: the need for quality sleep and re-charge time to prevent burnout and its consequences,” Minha Rajput-Ray, Medical Director of NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition & Health, said in a statement.

The study found that most frontline health workers are averaging less than 7 hours of sleep a night but after accounting for potentially influential factors, every extra hour of sleep at night was associated with 12% lower odds of Covid-19 infection.

This latest study surveyed 3,000 healthcare workers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S., of which 568 got Covid-19.

The survey collected data on respondents lifestyle, health, and use of prescription medication and dietary supplements plus information on the amount of sleep they got at night and in daytime naps over the preceding year. It also collected data on any sleep problems; burnout from work; and workplace exposure to Covid-19 infection.

They also noted that compared to respondents who had no sleep problems, those with three – including difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or needing to use sleeping pills on 3 or more nights of the week– had an 88% greater chance of being infected with Covid-19.

Additionally, the study found that around 1 in 4 of those with Covid-19 reported difficulties sleeping at night compared with around 1 in 5 of those without the infection.

And 1 in 20 of those with Covid-19 said they had three or more sleep problems compared with only 3% of those without the infection.

The researchers also note that napping during the day didn’t have any protective effects against Covid-19. In fact an extra hour acquired in daytime napping was associated with six per cent higher odds of infection, although this association varied by country.

Burnout also increased the odds of infection.

Compared with those who didn't report any burnout, those for whom this was a daily occurrence were more than twice as likely to have Covid-19. Additionally, these respondents were also around three times as likely to say that their infection was severe and that they needed a longer recovery period.

These findings held true, irrespective of the frequency of Covid-19 workplace exposure.

This latest study builds on the growing amount of research that shows the more sleep you get the better off you are when it comes to fighting Covid-19 infection, or any infection for that matter.

For example, previous research has shown that people with sleep disorders, people who sleep less than five or six hours per night, and people who have poor sleep quality report higher rates of respiratory illnesses, head colds, and related ills.

“We have a lot of evidence that if you have an adequate amount of sleep, you definitely can help to prevent or fight any kind of infection,” Monika Haack, a psychoneuroimmunologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, told National Geographic in an interview.

Countless studies have linked poor sleep and burnout to a heightened risk of colds and flu as well as long-term conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease and death from all causes.

While it’s unclear exactly why sleep is so important for our immune systems ability to function, studies have found that just one night of sleep deprivation is enough to keep T cells circulating in the blood, making them less able to learn about and respond to invading viruses.

Further, research has shown that when the body is denied sleep, T cells also become less able to interact with virus-infected cells, reducing their power to fight the infection.

Additionally, some research suggests that lack of sleep and sleep disorders may adversely influence the immune system by increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and histamines, which interfere with T cells and other immune cells.

There’s also evidence that lack of sleep can reduce the bodies ability to produce antibodies, long-lasting proteins that the body makes in response to pathogens and vaccines.

Sleep deprivation can also reduce antibody responses to hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and H1N1 swine flu vaccines. In some studies, one night was all it took to see the effect.

“Disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle can affect metabolic, immune and even psychological health,” saidRajput-Ray. “And sleep deprivation can make calorie dense foods, higher in fat, sugar and salt, more appealing, particularly during times of stress and/or difficult shift patterns, all of which takes a toll on overall health and wellbeing.”

However, it’s worth noting that sleep isn’t the only factor that can influence one’s risk of contracting a virus.

According to an analysis published in 2020, exercise, social support, stress levels, smoking, alcohol consumption, and other factors also explain why only a subset of people get sick when exposed to any virus.

But either way until you get a vaccine it may be worth prioritizing your sleep.