Relationship between the Immune System and Sleep.
Look, the immune system is complicated. Like really, really complicated. While new information is coming to light everyday, we already know that the immune system and sleep directly impact one another.
Recent research is showing that lack of sleep or poor sleep patterns impact the functioning of immunocytes. If immunocytes, white blood cells, are unable to do their job, bacteria and other pathogens are likely to harm the body. These pathogens will then disrupt the sleep cycle. So, sleep affects the immune system and the immune system affects sleep. Opp explained this is as bi-directional relationship[1].
When working properly, the two parts of the immune system (adaptive and innate) work in conjunction to prevent and eliminate pathogens. The skin and mucous membranes make up the innate immune system, which is considered a general, first defense to block these enemies. For numerous reasons, including lack of sleep, the innate immune system may fail, allowing bacteria and viruses to enter the body. At this point, the adaptive immune system takes over by responding with a specific attack plan to the kill the pathogen. When medical professionals talk about the body “remembering” a previous illness and responding more quickly, they are specifically talking about the adaptive immune system and the role of memory cells. These cells play a part in making future responses against a pathogen more efficient, meaning you become less sick than you would otherwise. Again, if sleep is not adequate, this beneficial response may not be as strong.
An additional component of the immune system is the utilization of inflammatory mediators. When a pathogen attacks, our body responds by increasing inflammation (that red, throbbing, swelling feeling we all know too well). This can be both good and bad. Although research is still in the works, immunologists and other scientists believe that a lack of sleep has a direct, negative effect by weakening the immune system and increasing the risk of acute and chronic inflammation that we do not want. For athletes training to become bigger, stronger, and faster, long term or chronic inflammation can significantly hinder the recovery process. This can also increase your chances of chronic disease later in life.
In our last article, we broke down the stages of the sleep cycle. Keeping in mind the studies currently being done, it could be possible that if the 3rd and 4th stages of sleep are critical for muscle and tissue repair, then a normal, healthy, inflammatory response may have its greatest effect on these stages. Maintaining a solid sleep schedule will absolutely benefit recovery in athletes, but not sleeping enough is likely to make this incredibly valuable human process inefficient and ineffective. Why limit your abilities as an athlete when something as simple as getting sleep could give you that edge over the competition. As baseball players, you have a long career ahead of you and if you think that getting sleep later will be enough, it may be too late. Being competitive means putting in the time and effort, but sleeping will always be vital to the process.
-Adam Landecker
-Briana Shipley
Opp, Mark R., and James M. Krueger. "Sleep and Immunity: A Growing Field with Clinical Impact." Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
