- Researchers from the University of Bergen, Norway, recently published the study
- They asked 1,848 people in Norwegian doctors’ surgeries how long they slept
According to one study, sleeping less than six hours a night could increase your risk of getting infections.
The researchers asked 1,848 people in doctors’ surgeries in Norway how long they slept on average each night.
Next, they were asked if they had suffered from a respiratory infection such as a cold or stomach bug, urinary tract infection (UTI), skin or eye infection, or another type of infection in the past three previous months.
Those who said they slept less than six hours a night were 27% more likely to have had an infection in the past three months than those who got enough sleep – the recommended seven to eight hours a night.
The study may have been too small to provide many clear trends between sleep deprivation and specific infections.
But the results show that people who slept less than six hours were 92% more likely to have had a stomach bug involving vomiting or diarrhoea.
Meanwhile, people with insomnia were 41% more likely to have had a UTI.
There is evidence to suggest that too little sleep makes the immune system less able to fight infection, but more research is needed.
Previous studies have shown that people infected with a cold virus are more likely to catch a cold, having failed to fight off the virus, if they are sleep deprived.
Dr Ingeborg Forthun, who led the study from the University of Bergen in Norway, said: ‘Sleep is important not only for people’s well-being, but also for their health, including the ability to body to fight an infection.
“Increased awareness of the importance of sleep is needed among the general public and among physicians.”
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, found that nearly 54% of people surveyed in doctors’ offices had experienced an infection in the past three months.
Those who slept less than six hours were 57% more likely to have received antibiotics in the previous three months.
Researchers say sleeping the recommended amount could reduce infections.
However, those who said they slept more than nine hours were 44% more likely to have had an infection than people who slept seven to eight hours a night. Oversleeping can be a sign of poor underlying health.