Can Good Sleep Prior to COVID-19 Infection Reduce Risk of Lung COVID? New Research Explains

It is still a mystery why some people continue to suffer from complaints for a long time after a corona infection, while others continue without problems. New research indicates that a good night’s sleep prior to infection may play a role.

Those who sleep better have less chance of contracting lung covid, says researcher Siwen Wang of Harvard Scientias.nl. “We found that people who met most aspects of healthy sleep before they got corona had about a 30 percent lower risk of lung covid compared to worse sleepers.” According to the researchers’ definition, good sleepers are morning people, who sleep 7 to 8 hours per night, fall asleep easily and do not wake up often, they do not snore and do not feel sleepy during the day. “Of these sleep components, getting enough sleep every day and good sleep quality are the most important for a lower risk of lung covid,” said Wang. Other factors such as chronic diseases such as asthma or heart complaints, or hospitalization due to Covid-19 could not explain the results.

A questionnaire every two years
The researcher watched with colleagues to the data of nearly 2000 women who participated in a cohort study among nurses, which has been running since 1989. “We send questionnaires to participants every two years to collect health-related information. During the pandemic, we also specifically asked them about their corona experiences,” says Wang.

The women with an average age of almost 65 answered questions about sleeping habits and whether they had experienced a corona infection between April 2020 and November 2021. The sleep patterns of the nurses were examined before the corona outbreak and during the first months of the pandemic. Almost half (44 percent) said they had had corona symptoms for at least four weeks.

Sleep a lot for a good immune system
But those who slept well, were clearly back on their feet much faster. “All the dimensions of sleep we studied could be linked to systemic inflammation and immune abnormalities. In addition, sleep deprivation and insomnia contribute to the development of autoimmune antibodies that we have also found in higher concentrations in lung covid patients.

The connection between sleep and lung covid is not completely unexpected. “Poor sleep has been linked to chronic inflammation and a dysregulated immune system in previous research, and both have been linked to an increased risk of lung covid,” said Wang. “There is also evidence that people who sleep poorly sometimes have changes in their microbiomes or suffer from blood clotting disorders, which have also been linked to lung covid.”

Healthy living helps
The researcher also talks about other research they have done into a healthy lifestyle and the risk of lung covid. “In short, we have discovered that a healthy lifestyle, including a good diet, protects against lung covid. A healthy weight and good sleep provide the most benefits.”

The researchers were surprised that the effect was so strong. “It was surprising that the link between healthy sleep and lung covid was so strong after adjusting for a range of underlying medical conditions and the severity of the corona infection.”

Why sleeping is so important
The importance of a good night’s sleep is still too often underestimated. It not only protects against lung covid, but is also important for overall health. Sleeping too little increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, obesity and diabetes, among other things. It is also bad for your psychological well-being. For example, it increases the risk of depression and concentration problems, writes the UMC Utrecht. Yet there are many Dutch people who sleep too little. According to figures from Statistics Netherlands, one in five people suffer from sleeping problems. Ten percent even reported having many or many sleeping problems. Women sleep poorly more often than men and the elderly more often than young people.