The Connection of Sleep, Chronic Stress and Immune System

 

Todays amazing guest is Dr. Breus, The SLEEP Doctor, to help us learn more how to optimize our health by optimizing our sleep! 

 

Do you prioritize your sleep?

 

Who is Dr. Breus?

Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and both a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He was one of the youngest people to have passed the Board at age 31 and, with a specialty in Sleep Disorders, is one of only 168 psychologists in the world with his credentials and distinction. Dr. Breus is on the clinical advisory board of The Dr. Oz Show and appears regularly on the show (39 times in 8 seasons).

 

• Author, The Power of When
• Author, The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan
• Author, Beauty Sleep
• Hundreds of presentations to Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 Companies
• Inaugural Sleep Technology Ambassador at Health 2.0, put on by The National Sleep Foundation
• Consulted to brands such as Advil PM, Breathe Rite, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Dong Energy (Denmark), Merck (Belsomra),IHome, Princess Cruise lines, Disney, Phillip Stein, Zeo, SleepScore Max and more
• Sleep Expert, WebMD for more than 14 years
• Writes for The Insomnia Blog, The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, Sharecare, and The Oz Blog
• Principal Researcher on numerous grant funded projects and clinical trials
• Interviewed many times on CNN, Oprah, The View, Anderson Cooper, Rachael Ray, Fox and Friends, The Doctors, Joy Behar, The CBS Early Show, The Today Show, and Kelly and Michael.
• Writes for The Insomnia Blog, The Huffington Post, and Psychology Today
• Expert resource for most major publications doing more than 100 interviews per year (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and many popular magazines)
• Appears regularly on Dr. OZ and Sirius XM Radio
• Dr. Breus currently resides outside of Los Angeles and maintains a private practice in that area.

Sleep Boosts T Cell Production

• One way sleep helps the immune system is in how it fosters T Cell production.
• T Cells are white blood cells that play a critical part in the immune system’s response to viruses.
• Their activation is an important step in how the body handles invaders, with T Cells attacking and destroying virus-carrying cells.
• A good night’s sleep is needed for T Cells to work their best, however.
• One recent study showed participants who were able to get a full night of sleep reported higher levels of T Cell activation compared to participants who didn’t get ample sleep.
• Sleep deprivation, meanwhile, stops T Cells from responding efficiently — and makes it more difficult for the body to fight back against illnesses.
• Sleep Improves the Immune System’s Response to Threats
• The immune system’s response time is also improved by getting a good night’s sleep.
• By completing the four sleep cycles, you’re supporting the release and production of cytokine, a multifaceted protein that helps the immune system quickly respond to antigens.

 Cytokines have two priorities:

• Promoting cell-to-cell communication
• Directing cells to head towards infections and counteract the issue

These proteins are essentially the quarterback for your immune system, taking the orders on how to best fight back against a virus and directing immune cells to follow the game plan.

A lack of sleep makes this tougher. Your body relies on a full night of rest to replenish the cells and proteins it needs to fight diseases. Sleep loss stymies cytokine production, and in the process makes it harder for your body to battle back against viruses.

What does cortisol do?  

Cortisol is a stimulating, alerting hormone. It’s the body’s primary stress hormone—that’s the role that gets cortisol most of its attention. Urged on by a complex network that incorporates elements of the central nervous system and the adrenal system, cortisol drives the body’s fight-or-flight response, in the presence of a threat or stressor. But cortisol does more than spur fight-or-flight. This hormone has a number of other functions, including:

• Regulating blood pressure
• Balancing blood sugar
• Influencing inflammation
• Regulating energy levels
• Contributing to cardiac system function
• Helping to control the sleep-wake cycle

Cortisol gets a pretty bad rap these days—and there’s no question that chronically elevated cortisol contributes to sleep disruptions and other health problems (more on those in a moment). But it’s important to be clear: cortisol is an essential component of human physiology. The challenge for many of us is to keep cortisol levels from veering too high. (As you’ll see, sleep can help with that).

When cortisol is elevated too frequently and over long periods of time, it can cause a number of health problems.

They include:

• Chronic illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease
• Weight gain (both by stimulating appetite and by encouraging the body to store fat more aggressively)
• Fatigue
• “Foggy brain”, and difficulty with memory and focus
• Compromises to the immune system, increased inflammation and greater vulnerability to illness, disease, and other effects of aging
• Problems with digestion
• Mood disorders, including depression and anxiety
• Sleep problems

 

Dr. Breus SLEEP blog links:

1. https://thesleepdoctor.com/2020/03/24/cortisol-and-its-effects-on-your-sleep/
2. https://thesleepdoctor.com/2020/03/21/why-a-regular-sleep-schedule-matters-to-your-health/
3. https://thesleepdoctor.com/2020/03/28/answering-5-common-sleep-questions-including-tips-on-how-to-fall-asleep-quicker/
4. https://thesleepdoctor.com/
5. https://thesleepdoctor.com/sleep-quizzes/

 

Debbie Potts

Health Coach, Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Host of The Low Carb Athlete Podcast

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