Proper Sleep = Stronger Immune System

Proper sleep should be your top priority. When we get the benefits of a full night’s sleep, that’s when our bodies revive and restore. Our immune system remains stronger. Dial-a-Bed, in collaboration with UCT sleep scientist Dr Dale Rae, brings you insights into how you can best improve your sleep to maintain a healthy immune system. It’s a practical guide on how you should, and can, Sleep For Life.

Why is sleep so critical to your immune system?

Proper sleep is when you fulfil the benefits of a heathy diet and exercise. “Contrary to how we think about our snooze time,” remarks Dr Rae, “sleep is actually an activity. This is when our body processes and recharges. So do our brains.” During sleep the immune system releases proteins called cytokines. These help to fight infection. Interrupted sleep, or sleep deprivation, reduces your immunity.

What is the best sleep for a healthy immune system?

Sleep differs for everyone. We all have our own natural body clock that tells us when we should sleep. You may prefer to sleep and wake up later. Or perhaps you go to bed and get up earlier. Then there’s how much sleep you need personally. “What is vital to your immune system is not just when, or how long, you sleep,” Dr Rae observes, “but the quality of your sleep.”

What is good, immunity building sleep?

A decent night’s sleep happens in stages. It starts with nodding off into light non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. As consciousness relaxes, your sleep deepens through two more non-REM stages. Finally, at the third and bottom level, you are in a deep, slow wave sleep, where the important restoring of the body takes place. This is likely when your immune system goes to work. It also processes a glymphatic function, where waste and toxins are removed from the brain. Energy levels are restored. During sleep, brain connectivity archives the things you want to memorise. With the right amount of deep sleep, your immune system is ready to fight another day.

A healthy immune system starts with the perfect bed

At Dial-a-Bed you will find the widest range of brands and mattress specs to support your perfect night’s sleep. If it’s the quality of your sleep that matters most, you want a quality bed. Don’t compromise. Sleep for a healthier immune system. Sleep for life.