How Does Rest Help the Immune System?

Getting the right amount of rest is important for so many reasons. One of the overlooked reasons is that it can indeed help the immune system. Multiple studies have shown that there are many different benefits of sleeping well, and today, researchers understand that it can actually improve the function of T cells, a type of immune cell in the body. T cells are really important because they help the body fight against cells that are infected by viruses, like flu, HIV, herpes, and cancer cells. T cells play a significant role in the immune system, and you can keep them functioning effectively by sleeping well. Not sleeping well, however, can cause stress hormones to inhibit the effectiveness of T cells.

Additionally, during sleep, the immune system releases proteins called cytokines that can promote better sleep. Some of these cytokines need to increase in quantity when a person gets sick, but sleep deprivation can decrease the production of these cytokines. This can affect the immune system further. Some studies have shown that people who don’t sleep well or don’t get quality sleep are more likely to get sick after exposure to a virus, and poor sleep can affect recovery time for sick people too.

Good sleep really is necessary, and adults need at least seven hours of it a night. Less than that can affect an adult’s immune system and their overall health. Less than five hours of sleep per night can, over time, have serious consequences, and is actually associated with a higher mortality. So, sleep can be vital. For many people, their poor sleep can be attributed to a sleep disorder or another sleep-related issue, but Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders can help in this area.

Our clinic can, if necessary, refer patients for a sleep study which can be very useful in identifying sleep disorders and other issues. However, we can help many patients right at our clinic, including those patients with sleep disorders like sleep apnea. In fact, we can treat sleep apnea very effectively, and we do this using oral appliance therapy. It’s simple, easy, comfortable, and very effective for many cases of sleep apnea, and is just as effective for cases of TMJ (jaw joint) disorder too. This particular disorder can affect sleep significantly, and many patients are unaware that they have it.

You might not be sure why you’re sleeping poorly, but that’s okay, because our clinic can help with this. By identifying the underlying issue affecting your sleep, we can help you sleep better, and in doing so, likely boost your immune system too. Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders has multiple locations in Bloomington IL, Peoria/Dunlap IL, Mishawaka IN, Kansas City MO, El Paso TX. You can call us if you’d like to learn more about what we can do for you, but the best way to find out is to come see us for a consultation. Call us at that number to book your consultation with us, or book it from our Appointments page.

We hope to see you soon and help you with your sleep here at Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders!