Coronavirus and Sleep - Strategies for a strong immune system
As write this, we are in our sixth week of lockdown. My son Oscar and I no longer fear that we might infect the other and have settled into routine, both of us working hard but with less shopping and socialising. I worry about people close to me who are in care homes. It is almost impossible to get through on the phone, and staff are clearly stretched to breaking point. The oddness of London life has become almost normal. I suspect that I am not alone in being both fascinated and appalled.
I held off writing about sleep and the new coronavirus. We have enough fears. This virus is scary and peculiar and we are far from fully understanding it. We need our immune system to work well to minimise its impact. That takes good quality deep sleep, and as we got more reports from Zeez users as to how the Pebble was helping them, I decided that I better overcome my awkwardness, and encourage everyone reading this to do what it takes to sleep well. That may be essential oils and a relaxing bath, pr an overhaul of eating habits, or using our Zeez Sleep Pebble. l want people to know that we may help where nothing else has worked and will do my best to ensure that we have devices available as affordably as possible.
There is a lot in this article – jump to the bits that interest you.
Why is good quality sleep so important to our immune s system?
During deep sleep, we make infection-fighting white blood cells, release proteins called cytokines, which regulate the operation of our immune system, and generate antibodies designed to overcome new pathogens. The production of all of these - white blood cells, cytokines and antibodies - is dramatically affected if we don’t get enough good quality sleep. Natural killer cells decrease by 75% after just one night of interrupted sleep, antibody production falls by around 50%. and production of these protective cytokines decreases significantly [i] The effects of poor sleep on antibodies was shown clearly in a study of pairs of twins who had habitually different sleep patterns. The twins who slept less had depressed immune systems. As the lead researcher commented “the immune system functions best when it gets enough sleep. Seven or more hours of sleep is recommended for optimal health”. [ii]
Sleep quality and the risk of infection
Could the quality of our sleep affect our tendency to become infected by COVID-19? There is an interesting study on another coronavirus – the common cold. This found that people who sleep less than six hours a night are four times more likely to catch a cold, compared to those who sleep for more than seven hours. “Short sleep was more important than any other factor in predicting subjects’ likelihood of catching cold,” said the professor at University of California San Francisco who was responsible for the research. “It didn't matter how old people were, their stress levels, their race, education or income. It didn't matter if they were a smoker. With all those things taken into account, statistically sleep still carried the day.”[iii] The results looked like this:
Our immune response to COVID-19
An Australian study published in Nature Medicine this week details the immune response of a healthy patient who returned to Melbourne from Wuhan[iv], and recovered. Her body’s response was exactly that which would be expected had she caught a cold – the same lymphocytes produced in response to the infection – including the CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes whose production is lowered when sleep is impaired [v].
Why are older people, and those with underlying health conditions, more at risk?
Older people are far more likely to die from C0VID-19 than younger people – but when we look at the figures in detail it is clear that deaths are related to underlying conditions. The table below appeared in The Conversation[vi]. As we age, our risk of chronic conditions tends to increase. And our sleep tends to worsen. Of the conditions indicated in the graph below, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer are all associated with poor sleep. Sleep better and our risk of those illnesses decreases. Professor Karol Sikora summarises “It’s not the age that’s the cut-off, it’s the medical vulnerability. People with lung problems, cardiac failure, diabetes, obesity, smokers, these are the people who are most vulnerable. Vulnerable people should avoid crowds, but there should be no age cut-off”.
Sometimes, all we need to do to improve our sleep is to allow more time for it. If life has seemed too busy for 7 hours sleep, now could be a good time to make a change. And sometimes, the quality of our sleep is awful..
Improving sleep quality
How can we improve our sleep and boost our immune system? Sleeping pills? No: These reduce immune-boosting deep sleep even though they may extend the length of our sleep overall.
CBT? This often works it is however it is rather slow, requiring a course of several weeks, and may not improve sleep fast enough to help us repel or fight COVID-19.
CBD oil? CBD can help us fall asleep faster, but there is no evidence that it deepens sleep quality.
Diet. Sugar affects our sleep quality, increasing cortisol, and decreasing growth hormone. It damages our immune system by affecting our sleep. In the current crisis, I think it’s worth reducing high-carb foods, especially in the evening. That is likely to improve our sleep and help our immune system. Fibre deepens sleep quality, and it is important to eat plenty. Keep gut biome healthy by eating a wide variety of vegetables and probiotic foods.
Relaxation Stress damages our immune system, and relaxation helps. We can use the first 10 minutes of the Zeez cycle to prompt relaxation. This consists of alpha signals, of the kind that we enjoy with Tai Chi, mindfulness, or gentle gardening.
Laughter and socialising reduce stress levels and help our immune system. Self-isolation will be difficult for many, and we will need to work hard to socialise and support isolated people via phone and internet.
Daylight / Sunshine I’m worried that many people will no longer have access to daylight / sunshine, and the health benefits they afford, regulating circadian clocks, creating Vitamin D, and serotonin, all really important for sleep. Spend time outside when you can. It would be great if we could keep a safe distance from one another yet preserve our ability to spend time outside.
Exercise This creates endorphins. It also stimulates our lymph system, helping to eliminate toxins. I suspect that our lymph system is important in dealing with the effects of the virus . We need to exercise to keep our lymph system working, and older people tend to exercise less. Whilst isolated, jogging, running up and down stairs, rebounding or just bouncing up and down will help lymph to drain. Running outside is great. I hope that we are able to do that, and walk, whilst keeping at a safe distance from one another.
Tech So what about our Zeez Sleep Pebble? Around 80% of our users fall asleep faster, sleep longer, wake up less, and feel more rested. No matter how old they are or how longstanding their sleep issues. We get the best results when the brain has enough magnesium, salt, water, and we are eating well. Our users include people with heart conditions (you can use the Zeez if you have a pacemaker), diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. Our oldest user is 91, and many are in their 70s. See reviews and clips on YouTube.
I think this is a really worthwhile working on our health right now. Improving our immune system not only reduces our risk of contracting Covid-19, but should reduce the severity of any infection by minimising our viral load and maximising our production of white blood cels cytokines and antibodies. Improving sleep quality may be the most important step we can take. Alongside that, exercise. For our muscles so that blood vessels are strong , for our heart and lungs, and for our lymph system. Drink enough water. Flush out toxins. Spend as much time as allowed / possible outside to keep your serotonin level high, and create natural Vitamin D. Supplement vitamin C and Zinc. Destress. Call friends. Laugh, and be kind..
I wish us all well in tough times. I’ll do all I can to support our sleep, with or without the Zeez. Ask me questions, comment, and I will do my best.
References
[i] https://www.semel.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Oct%202002%20-%20Effects%20of%20sleep%20and%20sleep%20loss%20on%20immunity%20and%20cytokines.pdf
[ii] http://www.sci-news.com/medicine/sleep-immune-system-04572.html
[iii] https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2015/08/131411/short-sleepers-are-four-times-more-likely-catch-cold
[iv] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0819-2
[v] http://www.sci-news.com/medicine/sleep-immune-system-04572.html
[vi] https://theconversation.com/why-are-older-people-more-at-risk-of-coronavirus-133770