Unit 5

Sleep Research

1) Adequate sleep is necessary for good health. Do some research to learn more about the role of sleep
in keeping us healthy and the changes that occur to the immune system during sleep.

1. Summarize what you learned about the role of sleep in maintaining the immune system. Your
research and answer must describe the changes that are taking place in the immune system
during sleep. 10 pts.

2. Include resources you used for this information. (This may be a weblink) 2 pts.

a. Lack of sleep: Can it make you sick?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-
sleep/faq-20057757

b. Shift of monocyte function toward cellular immunity during sleep.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9127011

c. Food and Sleep

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/foods-that-help-
you-sleep/faq-20057763

3. Include a description of your personal sleep (and rest) patterns 3 pts.

4. Apply what you've learned through the course resources and your research to analyze your own
personal sleep habits. What are you going right? What improvements could you make?
Include information from the website assigned in the contents page.
5 pts.
 Sleep is nature’s way of recharging our bodies and rejuvenating the body’s immune
system. The optimal amount of sleep for most adults is seven to eight hours of good sleep each
night. Teenagers need nine to 10 hours of sleep. School-aged children may need 10 or more
hours of sleep. During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, some of
which help promote sleep. Certain cytokines need to increase when you have an infection or
inflammation, or when you're under stress. Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these
protective cytokines. In addition, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during
periods when you don't get enough sleep. Sleep affects different parts of the immune system in
different ways. For example, one study found that during sleep, immune cells such as
monocytes, NK cells and lymphocytes were reduced, but during the day following good sleep,
levels were significantly higher than in those who had not slept the night before.

Personally, I can say that I have a normal sleeping habit for a teenager. I love to sleep
and I take naps and sleep whenever I can. I sometimes stay up late during the weekends but I
make up for it by waking up late the following day. During school days, I usually go to bed at
9:30 pm and wake up at 6:00 am. I also take noon naps after lunch, this nap takes about 5 – 10
minutes and it helps me become more alert for my afternoon classes.

Based on my research on the effects of sleep on the immune system, I am glad to know
that I am following the right sleeping habits. I can definitely improve on my sleeping habits for
the weekend by sleeping earlier so that I can wake up early because sometimes I feel
lightheaded and lethargic whenever I would wake up after sleeping late in the evening. I will also
consider getting more exercise so that I can sleep better at night and putting my cellphone in
airplane mode to avoid unnecessary disturbance caused by emails and other notifications. I
have also learned that it is better to avoid large, high fat meals late in the day and avoiding
caffeine late in the day and avoid alcohol before bedtime. These practices can hinder sleep and
make it difficult for an individual to fall asleep.

In conclusion, the importance of sleep cannot be undervalued because there are a lot of
repairs going around in our body while we are at this restful state. And good sleeping habits can
help us become healthier individuals.