Sleep is an important part of protecting your body’s immune system and when you are not receiving enough sleep, your likelihood of getting sick is increased. Americans have seen their daily sleep drop an estimated 1.5 to 2 hours in the last 100 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A third of Americans get less than 6 hours of sleep each night, despite the conclusion by several professionals that seven hours of sleep is necessary for optimal health. A study of 11 pairs of twin adults with different sleep habits has shown that the twin with less sleep had weaker immune response as measured by white blood cell activity. The findings conclude sleep is an important to health as diet and exercise. The exact affects of sleep remains somewhat of a mystery, but it remains clear that sleep is extremely important and needs to be recognized as such.
Key Points:
- 1“This is the first study to show suppressed immune gene expression in chronic sleep deprivation,” said study lead author Dr. Nathaniel Watson. He’s a professor of neurology at the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center in Seattle.
- 2Americans have seen their daily sleep drop an estimated 1.5 to 2 hours over the last century, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- 3The bottom line: “Sleep is as important as diet and exercise to optimal health,” he said. “Prioritize it in your life and reap the benefits. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor. You may have a sleep disorder.”
Americans have seen their daily sleep drop an estimated 1.5 to 2 hours over the last century, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full article at: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_163509.html
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