In these reviews, lack of sleep and insomnia deteriorate patients' quality of life, but the exact influence of these factors on the immune system has only begun to gain interest in recent years. Insomnia is a risk factor for numerous diseases, including common infections and autoimmune diseases. high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, depression or Alzheimer's disease. In addition, these conditions have also been identified as risk factors for other immune system dysfunctions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease, or Hashimoto's disease. The relationship between sleep and immunity as well as stress is bidirectional, since inflammation can cause drowsiness, but also in some pathological conditions, like stress such as a prolonged inflammatory response, it can also alter the circadian rhythm. Sleep deprivation causes immunosuppression plus susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Research from the University of Rochester (USA), published in “Science Advances” reports on the quality of sleep. The depth of sleep can affect our brain's ability to efficiently clear waste and toxic proteins, connecting to the links between aging, lack of sleep, and increased risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. because sleep often becomes lighter and more interrupted as we age. This study shows that, “the deeper the sleep, the better,” says the study's lead author, Maiken Nedergaard.
The study shows that slow and steady cardiac and cardiopulmonary activity, associated with deep non-REM sleep, is the most optimal for glymphatic system function. The glymphatic system serves the same function in the brain that the lymphatic system does in the rest of the body. The author of the discovery in 2012 was also Maiken Nedergaard, MD, co-director of the University's Neuromedicine Conversion Center. Later work showed that this system works mainly while we sleep.
As we age, it becomes more difficult to consistently achieve deep non-REM sleep, leading to a buildup of toxic proteins such as amyloid beta and tau in the brain, associated with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers have speculated that impairment of the glymphatic system due to sleep disruption could be a determining factor in the disease. The analysis supports the importance of deep sleep for proper function of the glymphatic system.
Another valuable information that the study provides is that, “cognitive deterioration after anesthesia and surgery is an important problem,” acknowledges study co-author Tuomas Lilius, from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). “A significant percentage of older adults who undergo surgery experience a postoperative period of delirium or have new or worsening cognitive impairment upon discharge.”
In these reviews, lack of sleep and insomnia deteriorate patients' quality of life, but the exact influence of these factors on the immune system has only begun to gain interest in recent years. Insomnia is a risk factor for numerous diseases, including common infections and autoimmune diseases. high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, depression or Alzheimer's disease. In addition, these conditions have also been identified as risk factors for other immune system dysfunctions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease, or Hashimoto's disease. The relationship between sleep and immunity as well as stress is bidirectional, since inflammation can cause drowsiness, but also in some pathological conditions, like stress such as a prolonged inflammatory response, it can also alter the circadian rhythm. Sleep deprivation causes immunosuppression plus susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/9/2159 (2022).-----
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/2/904 (2022).----
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23328940.2022.2109932 (2022).---
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2147/PPA.S398188 (2023).---
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938424000556 (2024).--
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jn.00429.2023 (2024).--
https://safer.uct.cl/index.php/SAFER/article/view/742 (2025).--
Research from the University of Rochester (USA), published in “Science Advances” reports on the quality of sleep. The depth of sleep can affect our brain's ability to efficiently clear waste and toxic proteins, connecting to the links between aging, lack of sleep, and increased risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. because sleep often becomes lighter and more interrupted as we age. This study shows that, “the deeper the sleep, the better,” says the study's lead author, Maiken Nedergaard.
The study shows that slow and steady cardiac and cardiopulmonary activity, associated with deep non-REM sleep, is the most optimal for glymphatic system function. The glymphatic system serves the same function in the brain that the lymphatic system does in the rest of the body. The author of the discovery in 2012 was also Maiken Nedergaard, MD, co-director of the University's Neuromedicine Conversion Center. Later work showed that this system works mainly while we sleep.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/3584/scientists-discover-previously-unknown-cleansing-system-in-brain.aspx.-----
As we age, it becomes more difficult to consistently achieve deep non-REM sleep, leading to a buildup of toxic proteins such as amyloid beta and tau in the brain, associated with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers have speculated that impairment of the glymphatic system due to sleep disruption could be a determining factor in the disease. The analysis supports the importance of deep sleep for proper function of the glymphatic system.
Another valuable information that the study provides is that, “cognitive deterioration after anesthesia and surgery is an important problem,” acknowledges study co-author Tuomas Lilius, from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). “A significant percentage of older adults who undergo surgery experience a postoperative period of delirium or have new or worsening cognitive impairment upon discharge.”
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/5508/not-all-sleep-is-equal-when-it-comes-to-cleaning-the-brain.aspx (2019).--- -
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/14/8457 (2022).---
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/46/5/zsad011/6995395?redirectedFrom=PDF&login=false (2023).—
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/STR.0000000000000453 (2024).--