You're fending off the flu. Of course some of you aren't aware of it
since your immune system works without your consent. But others of you
have heard of your body's annual battle, and joined the fight.
You got a flu shot.
Well, whether you did or didn't, get some sleep. It helps.
According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, sleep bolsters your flu-fighting antibodies.
"Sleep loss increases an individual's vulnerability to infectious
diseases," says Dr. Bruce C. Corser, medical director of the Sleep
Management Institute in Cincinnati. "Even a mild disruption in sleep can
reduce the body's immune response and lower your natural resistance
against illnesses such as the flu."
Many Americans are at risk. According to a poll by the National Sleep
Foundation, 39 percent of people don't get the minimum recommended
amount of sleep each night: 7 hours.
In the study presented in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, people who had got the flu shot but did not get adequate
sleep (just 4 hours) had less than half the flu-fighting antibodies as
their counterparts who slept 7 to 9 hours a night.
"Clearly sleep has preventative and recuperative benefits," Corser says.
"So it's important to make sleep a priority when trying to maintain
overall good health."
