New evidence is highlighting just how important sleep is for overall health.
Emerging research published in The Journal of Immunology found a link between sleep deprivation and the immune system, and the potential to develop obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease through inflammation.
Researchers at the Dasman Diabetes Institute in Dasman, Kuwait, aimed to investigate how sleep quality impacts systemic inflammation and immune response in 237 participants.
After tracking the participants’ dietary intake, physical activity and sleep patterns, the researchers found that obese individuals had “significantly lower sleep quality and higher chronic low-grade inflammation,” according to a press release.
Sleep disruption also contributed to inflammation, regardless of obesity status.
In a subsection of the study, five healthy participants went without sleep for 24 hours and were monitored and tested throughout.
The experiment uncovered that just one night of sleep deprivation resulted in a disruption in immune cells, or monocytes, in these participants, similar to what was observed in obese participants.
The researchers concluded that this study “highlights the importance of sleep quality in regulating immune responses and inflammation in obesity, suggesting that improving sleep quality could reduce inflammation and improve health outcomes.”
Sleep expert Dr. Wendy Troxel, RAND Corporation senior behavioral specialist and a licensed clinical psychologist in Utah, also commented on the findings in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
Troxel, who was not involved in the study, said the “intricate connection” between sleep, obesity and inflammation is “consistent with previous research that links these factors to obesity-related diseases.”
Regarding the negative health impact of just one poor night’s sleep, Troxel said these effects can be reversed after two nights of recovering sleep.
“[This] highlights that promoting healthy sleep can benefit immune function,” she said.
These findings should be “interpreted with some caution,” Troxel added, given the small size of the study sample.
“Nevertheless, combined with prior work, the results underscore the critical role of sleep in supporting and enhancing immune function,” she said.
Dr. Clayton Skaggs, founder and CEO of the Central Institute for Human Performance (CIHP) in Missouri, agreed that these findings support the “vital importance of timely rest.”
During sleep, the body releases proteins called cytokines that help fight infection and mediate inflammation, the expert told Fox News Digital.
“A loss of sleep disrupts this process, leaving the immune system in a relatively activated, pro-inflammatory state,” he said.
Skaggs added that sleep deprivation can also lead to a stress hormone imbalance, like elevated cortisol and adrenaline levels, which can further impact inflammation and immune regulation.
“While a single night of poor sleep might not cause overt illness in a healthy individual, these studies highlight that the immune system is highly sensitive to even short-term sleep loss,” he said.
“If such episodes become frequent, the cumulative effects may predispose individuals to chronic inflammatory conditions, increased susceptibility to infections and impaired vaccine responses.”