Research
Hormonal
Infection and immune response actively alter sleep patterns, typically increasing slow-wave sleep (SWS) and decreasing REM sleep, which may be an adaptive mechanism to conserve energy for the immune response.
If you are sick, expect your sleep to change (more deep sleep, less REM). This is a normal, adaptive response by your body to fight the infection. Do not fight this sleepiness; allow your body to rest and recover.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
most infectious processes, particularly during the acute phase of the immune response, alter sleep patterns, usually protracting the duration of the slow sleep wave (SWS) and consequently decreasing wakefulness and REM sleep. This disruption is commonly observed during an infection and might be a mechanism that is used by an organism to adapt to such circumstances and devote more of its energy to the immune system to clear the infection.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple animal and human studies cited in the review, showing consistent patterns of SWS increase during acute infection.
Source
The Bidirectional Relationship between Sleep and Immunity against Infections
Elizabeth Ibarra‐Coronado et al. · Journal of Immunology Research · 2015
DOI 10.1155/2015/678164
narrative_reviewCited 234×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Specific cytokines (IL-1, TNF, IFN) produced during the immune response act on the brain to increase non-REM sleep duration, demonstrating a bidirectional communication between the immune system and sleep regulation.Strong
- Sleep deprivation and reduced sleep duration weaken the immune response, increasing susceptibility to viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections through mechanisms such as impaired lymphocyte proliferation and altered cytokine levels.Good
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