The impact of sleep on inflammation and immunity has been highlighted in two new studies

It is often recommended to sleep to fight an infection or an illness; most of us have spent the day huddled on a couch at some point, under strict bed rest while our immune system battles the flu or another nasty invader. The link between sleep and the immune system has been around for quite some time, but new studies have revealed new insights into the mechanism that makes sleep a vital part of our immune response. Getting a good night's sleep is essential enough to maintain an army of healthy immune cells – but sleep deprivation and untreated sleep disorders can seriously damage them.

A new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Tübingen and focuses on a key aspect of our immune system: how it targets viruses and bacteria that may threaten our health. T cells are "defense cells" in the human body that recognize invading pathogens, such as the flu virus, in our systems and mobilize to fight them. There are some types of T cells, but one of the most crucial is the one that launches against invading pathogens, attaches to them, and then kills them. The research examined the actual functioning of this "attachment" – the way T-cells bind to introduced villains – and showed that sleep plays an important role in its success.

T cells do not automatically bind to new cells. They need to receive signals that activate their binding proteins, called integrins, to stick to pathogens. If you consider T cells as vessels and integrins as grapples, the body must actually say the T cells separate the integrins and attach them to the enemies to destroy them: a captain yells at them from the bridge, for example. Scientists at the origin of the study discovered that different substances present in the body, including epinephrine, prostaglandins E2 and D2 and adenosine, disrupt this signaling, rendering the cells T less likely to bind to invasive cells – and making the body more vulnerable to the bad. If T-cells are ships, these substances look like extremely disruptive sailors wreaking havoc on the bridge.

So where does sleep come from? The study, published in The journal of experimental medicine, measured the integrin levels of dormant or awake volunteers. It turns out that when we sleep, the levels of natural disruptors like adrenaline go down. This, in turn, causes T cells to bind more to threatening cells and strengthens the functioning of our immune system. Scientists have been able to prove that the increase of integrin was directly related to the natural hollow of these substances during our sleep. Sleeping well, it seems, helps T cells to attach themselves to the threats and kill them.

Other scientific publications published this week were the flip side: what happens to your immune system do not sleep well. According to a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Science, obstructive sleep apnea – where the airways temporarily close during sleep, stopping your breathing and causing sleep dysfunction – negative effect on the immune system.

The researchers found that in people with the disease, inflammation – a reaction of the immune system to serious threats – was overworked. Excessive levels of inflammation are linked to many health problems, including rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease, as the immune system begins to attack healthy cells and tissues. According to this new research, disturbed sleep increases the risk of inflammation-related health problems over time.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it is common knowledge that lack of sleep can increase the risk of getting sick because it disrupts the normal functioning of the immune system. We now know that the relationship between the immune system and sleep is complex and multilevel, and that it is essential to have ZZZ for a full night at regular intervals to regulate the body's immune response to the threats. If you have a sleep disorder, it is more likely that you will encounter other diseases.