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Nightmare! Sleeping less than six hours a night could increase the risk of contracting infections by more than a quarter, a study suggests
- Researchers from the University of Bergen, Norway, recently published the study.
- 1,848 people in Norwegian general practitioner surgeries were asked how much sleep they got
Sleeping less than six hours a night may increase the risk of infections, a study suggests.
The researchers asked 1,848 people in GP surgeries in Norway how much sleep they got on average each night.
They then asked if they had had a respiratory infection such as a cold or stomach bug, urinary tract infection (UTI), skin or eye infection, or other type of infection in the previous three months.
Those who said they slept less than six hours a night were 27 percent more likely to have had an infection in the past three months compared to those who got enough sleep, the recommended seven to eight hours a night.
The study may have been too small to provide many clear trends between sleep deprivation and specific infections.
Those who said they slept less than six hours a night were 27 percent more likely to have had an infection in the last three months compared to those who got enough sleep — the recommended seven to eight hours a night.
Researchers from the University of Bergen (pictured) asked 1,848 people in general practitioner surgeries in Norway how much sleep they got on average each night.
But the results show that people who slept less than six hours were 92 percent more likely to have had a stomach virus linked to vomiting or diarrhea.
Meanwhile, those with insomnia were 41 percent more likely to have had a UTI.
There is some evidence to suggest that too little sleep makes the immune system less able to fight infection, but more research is needed.
Previous studies have found that people infected with a cold virus are more likely to catch a cold, since they have been unable to fight off the virus, if they are deprived of sleep.
Dr Ingeborg Forthun, who led the study from the University of Bergen in Norway, said: “Sleep is important not only for people’s well-being, but also for their health, including their body’s ability to fight infection. “.
“Greater awareness of the importance of sleep in the general public and among physicians is needed.”
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, found that nearly 54 percent of people surveyed at doctors’ offices had had an infection in the past three months.
Those who slept less than six hours were 57 percent more likely to have received antibiotics in the previous three months.
The researchers say that getting the recommended amount of sleep could reduce infections.
However, those who reported sleeping more than nine hours were 44 percent more likely to have had an infection than people who slept seven to eight hours a night. Sleeping too much can be a sign of underlying poor health.