Are you getting enough sleep.7 to 9 hours of sleep allows the body to regenerate itself and could be the best form of attack when it comes to the latest flu virus that’s doing the rounds.
Many people are dying from flu related causes, and lack of sleep can make the flu vaccine less effective and is related to heart problems too. The National Sleep Foundation recommend 9 to 11 hours of sleep for children aged 6 to 13, and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers and 8 hours of sleep for 18 and over.
There are four different stages of sleep,the first one is when we’re just dropping off and it can be easy to wake up again. The other stages are light sleep, deep sleep and rapid eye movement sleep.
Deep sleep which starts around 35 minutes after falling asleep is when the immune system regroups itself and regenerates its immune responses. Sleep deprivation therefore can weaken the immune system.
Sleep deprivation can have the same impact on the system as stress. When a sleep deprived person gets a flu shot only half the antibodies will develop. With more deep sleep you can stave off viruses, and the general medical opinion is that we would all be healthier in general.
Health officials are urging everyone to wash their hands and stay away from others with germs, but it would also appear to be equally as important to get enough sleep.
