Scientists from the University of Tübingen in Germany found that healthy sleep increases the mobility of immune T cells responsible for destroying pathogens that enter the body. Research results published In the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity (BBI).
During the study, scientists repeatedly recorded the concentrations of different immune T cell subsets in the blood of healthy men and women over two 24-hour periods. The first phase involved drawing blood through a catheter in the forearm from participants who slept for eight hours in a laboratory setting. The second phase of the experiment was characterized by participants remaining awake at night in a comfortable position in bed.
It was noted that before the start of night sleep, the subjects were injected with an antigen in two stages to monitor the activity of the immune system.
Analysis of blood samples revealed significant differences in the motility of different T cell subsets. Their migratory potential (ability to move towards lymph nodes) increased, especially when given a full night’s sleep. Lymph nodes are secondary organs of the immune system that act as a biological filter through which lymph flows from organs and parts of the body.
Scientists have calculated that a good night’s sleep increases the immune response by an average of two times. Researchers have identified growth hormone and prolactin as critical factors in this increased efficiency of cell migratory behavior. Both hormones have been associated with certain changes in the composition of blood plasma that enable immune cells to move more quickly through the body.
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