Much research has shown the importance of respecting sleep hours to maintain good health. Now, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh (USA) have gone one step further and show that lack of rest can modify the effect of vaccines and even make them useless.
The study, which is published in the journal SLEEP , consisted of the analysis of the immune response after vaccination against the hepatitis B virus in healthy people between 40 and 60 years of age. The results revealed that participants who slept less than six hours a day made fewer antibodies in response to the vaccine , and many of them were not immunized after the vaccine. “Sleeping less than six hours a day carries a strong risk of being unprotected compared to those who sleep more than six hours,” the scientists explain in their study.
Tips to ensure a good rest
The importance of sleep to guarantee our health and well-being is a scientifically proven fact. Experts recommend a series of habits to guarantee a good rest:
Keep a regular schedule and always go to bed at the same time. Do not sleep more or less than the usual hours, between seven and nine.
Do some relaxing activity just before going to sleep, for example reading for ten minutes.
Use the bed for relaxation and rest . Not taking, for example, the computer to finish some pending task just before going to sleep.
Do not eat large meals before going to bed.
