Both insufficient and excessive sleep can make a person more vulnerable to various infections, a new Norwegian scientific study has found. Those who sleep less than six hours or more than nine are at greater risk of getting sick from viruses or bacteria.

The University of Bergen researchers, led by Dr. Ingeborg Forthan, who made the relevant publication in the psychiatry journal “Frontiers in Psychiatry”, studied 1,848 people. They found that those who typically slept less than six hours a night were on average 27% more likely to develop an infection, while those who slept more than nine hours had a 44% greater risk of infection. Even those with chronic sleep problems are more likely to use antibiotics more often.

Previous research has provided evidence that sleep problems may increase the risk of infection, e.g. from common cold rhinoviruses, which the new study confirms.

“Awareness of the importance of sleep not only for general well-being, but also for the health of patients, is necessary for both patients themselves and doctors,” said Dr. Forthan.

Link to the scientific publication:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1033034/full