Double Your Immunity with Healthy Sleep

Healthy sleep plays a crucial role in strengthening the immune system. However, the altered sleep routine due to summer heat can affect immunity. Dr. Ayşe Sezim Şafak emphasizes that small changes in sleep habits can strengthen the immune system.

In summer days, air temperatures and humidity levels are among the factors affecting sleep duration and quality. Therefore, even those without sleep problems can have their sleep routines affected during the summer months. Just like in winter, healthy sleep is one of the main factors that strengthen the immune system during the summer season. Dr. Ayşe Sezim Şafak, an Otorhinolaryngology Specialist, draws attention to the importance of healthy sleep habits for strengthening the immune system.

Healthy sleep strengthens immunity

Research shows that quality sleep can double the immune system. When our body encounters foreign molecules such as viruses and bacteria, our defense mechanism that keeps and protects the individual healthy is among the most important factors that help the immune system work properly. Healthy sleep routine is at the top of the factors that keep the immune system up.

Research shows that inflammation accumulated in the body lies at the root of diseases such as depression, cardiovascular diseases, and Alzheimer’s. Insufficient sleep can increase infection risk and pave the way for this inflammation. On the other hand, during healthy sleep, while maintaining a minimum cortisol level in the body and an increased antiviral response balance, this helps the immune system to work effectively. When sleep begins, sympathetic nervous system activity decreases, inflammation in the body is suppressed and immune response against viruses increases.

Bed selection prepares the ground for quality sleep

The hot weather and humidity during the summer months we are in can indirectly have a negative impact on the immune system by causing sleep disorders that affect sleep quality. Reasons such as inability to fall asleep, sleep interruption throughout the night due to heat can affect our sleep quality and thus our immune system.

There is a relationship between quality sleep and the immune system. The uninterrupted sleep duration during sleep, the appropriateness of the sleep time to the night-day cycle, the feeling of restfulness of sleep, and not feeling sleepy during the day can be counted among the factors determining sleep quality.

Creating an environment that will prepare the groundwork for healthy sleep will also have a significant effect on the immune system.

Strengthen your immune system by making changes in your sleep habits!

• Create a regular sleep schedule: The regular functioning of your biological clock forms the basis of sleep and the immune system. By sleeping and waking up at the same time every day, you can support your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and strengthen your immunity with a healthy sleep routine.
• Improve your sleeping environment: You can improve your sleeping environment by keeping the temperature of your room at ideal temperatures between 18-22 degrees. In addition, it is an important detail for a quality sleep that your room is dark during sleep.
• Pay attention to your bed and pillow selection: You can support a healthy sleep routine by paying attention to the order in the sleeping environment such as bed and pillow. The choice of bed and pillow with hardness suitable for your body forms one of the most important details in forming a sleep pattern.
• Limit blue light: Blue light emitted from electronic devices such as TV, computer, phone is among the factors that affect sleep quality, especially in the evening hours. Prepare for quality sleep by limiting blue light exposure at least 1 hour before bedtime.
• Manage your stress: Stress experienced during the day holds an important place among the factors that make it difficult to transition to sleep at night. Managing stress with methods such as meditation, allocating time for hobbies and social activities after work can indirectly affect the quality of sleep and strengthening of immunity.