• Investigating the Effect of Insufficient Sleep on the Immune Systems
  • Ali Ahmadi,1,* Atefeh Yousefnia,2 Maedeh Hassanpour,3 Dariush D Farhud,4
    1. BSc. Student, Young and Elite Researchers Club, Islamic Azad University Sari Branch, Sari, Iran
    2. MD. Student, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University Sari Branch, Sari, Iran
    3. MD. Student, Department of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University Sari Branch, Sari, Iran
    4. School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: Sufficient sleep is important for our health. Sleep and the circadian system exert a strong regulatory influence on immune functions. Both brain functions act synergistically and share neuroendocrine effector mechanisms to convey control over immune functions. In modern society, insufficient sleep has become an issue for many groups of people. Social networks, movies, long working hours, hard exams in schools and universities, etc. are responsible for this problem. In this article, we want to examine if insufficient sleep influences physical health.
  • Methods: This study was conducted in 2022 by searching for keywords such as Insufficient Sleep, Physical Health, Interleukin and Immune Systems invalid databases such as pub med and Google Scholar
  • Results: Circulating naive T-cells and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, like interleukin-12 (IL-12), peak during nighttime, whereas cytotoxic effector leukocytes and production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 peak during daytime. Sympathetic tone and cortisol levels show a circadian nadir during nighttime and are further suppressed by sleep, whereas growth hormone and prolactin show a circadian peak during nighttime and are further enhanced by sleep .increased concentrations of prolactin and GH as well as a decrease in cortisol hormonal changes characterizing early nocturnal sleep, could be responsible for a shift towards T helper 1 (Th1) cytokines during this time according to studies, during sleep, IL1 and IL6 increase so sleep deprivation decreases nocturnal IL1 and IL6. Both of these interleukins have important roles in the immune system. Differentiated immune cells with immediate effector functions, like cytotoxic NK cells and terminally differentiated CTL
  • Conclusion: According to the findings, it is better to set up a program to pay more attention to our sleep. We shouldn’t be careless about our sleep because of work, study, movies, and social spaces. If we don’t, we will lower our immune system.
  • Keywords: Insufficient Sleep, Physical Health, interleukin, Immune Systems