Sleeping enough hours reduces the chances of infection with Corona

A study conducted among health care workers in America found that insomnia, interrupted sleep and daily fatigue may be a risk factor for infection with the emerging corona virus and suffering from a severe disease with a longer recovery period.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, said that every hour an increase in the amount of time a health worker slept at night, reduced his likelihood of contracting the disease by 12%.

This study is based on observation, and as such it is not possible to determine the reason behind the discovery of this percentage. Moreover, the research team acknowledges that there are many limitations of the study that was conducted using "online" surveys such as self-assessment of exposure levels, sleep problems and infection severity. .

Interrupted or insufficient sleep and work fatigue have been linked to an increased risk of viral and bacterial infections, but it is not clear whether it is also a risk factor for corona infection.

The study authors confirmed that lack of sleep at night, severe sleep disturbances and high levels of fatigue may be risk factors for corona infection among health care workers.

The researchers relied on responses to an online survey of health care workers who had been repeatedly exposed to Corona patients, such as those in the emergency room or intensive care.

The survey was conducted from July 17 to September 25, 2020, and was available to healthcare workers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Britain and the United States, who provided details about lifestyle, health, medication use and prescriptions.

In addition, they provided details about the hours of sleeping at night and naps during the previous year, as well as sleep disturbances, fatigue from work, and exposure in the workplace to the new Corona virus infection.

Nearly 2,900 health care workers participated in the survey, of whom 568 had coronavirus.

One in 4 people infected with the emerging coronavirus reported having difficulty sleeping at night, compared to one in 5 people without infection.

With regard to daily fatigue, those who suffered from it on a daily basis were more than twice as likely to contract corona as those who did not suffer from this problem.

They were also three times more likely to have more severe injuries and need a longer recovery period.

The researchers concluded that `` the mechanism underlying these associations remains unclear, '' but it has been hypothesized that poor sleep and sleep disturbances may negatively affect the immune system by increasing the proteins cytokines and histamines.