Partial night sleep deprivation reduces natural killer and celhdar immune responses in humans

Abstract

Prolonged and severe sleep deprivation is associated with alterations of natural and cellular immune function. To determine whether alterations of immune function also occur after even a modest loss of sleep, the effects of early-night partial sleep deprivation on circulating numbers of white blood cells, natural killer (NK) cell number and cytotoxicity, lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell number and activity, and stimulated interleukin-2 (IL-2) production were studied in 42 medically and psychiatrically healthy male volunteers. After a night of sleep deprivation between 10 P.M. and 3 A.M., a reduction of natural immune responses as measured by NK cell activity, NK activity per number of NK cells, LAK activity, and LAK activity per number of LAK precursors (CD16,56, CD25) was found. In addition, concanavalin A-stimulated IL-2 production was suppressed after sleep deprivation due to changes in both adherent and nonadherent cell populations. After a night of recovery sleep, NK activity returned to baseline levels and IL-2 production remained suppressed. These data implicate sleep in the modulation of immunity and demonstrate that even a modest disturbance of sleep produces a reduction of natural immune responses and T cell cytokine production.

Genetic and Immunologic Aspects of Sleep and Sleep Disorders

“…76 Sleep deprivation is associated with reductions in immune response, 77 including impairment of T-cell cytokine production. 78 These studies of molecular changes in immune function have been supplemented by clinical studies supporting an association of short sleep with risk of infection. On the basis of data from almost 57,000 individuals, both short sleep and long sleep are associated with an increased risk of pneumonia compared with 8-h sleepers.…”

When Thinking Impairs Sleep: Trait, Daytime and Nighttime Repetitive Thinking in Insomnia

“…In the long term, disturbed sleep is associated with a variety of physical and mental health problems, including anxiety and depression (e.g., Irwin et al, 1996;Taylor, Lichstein, Durrence, Reidel, & Bush, 2005).…”

Monitoring vital signs in a bone marrow transplant unit: are they needed in the middle of the night?

“…Sleep promotes growth hormone production, 1 that in turn facilitates healing 6 as well as stem cell proliferation. 7 Deprivation of sleep interferes with immune system functioning, [8][9][10] glucose metabolism, 11 melatonin, growth hormone, cortisol and catecholamine levels, [11][12][13][14] along with increased fatiguability, mood changes and decreased pain tolerance. 15,16 There are also other advantages to less intensive monitoring during the night.…”