Several studies have focused on the lack of sleep and its contribution to conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Now there is a study that looks more closely at the impact of severe loss of sleep on the immune system.

Researchers from the Netherlands and the UK have published a study indicating that loss of sleep, like physical stress, can prompt the immune system into action. As reported in the journal SLEEP, the white blood cells from 15 young, healthy adult males were studied as they were subjected both to normal sleep as well as serious sleep loss.

Granulocytes, a type of white blood cells, were the most seriously impacted and lost their “day-to-night rhythmicity”. For additional information about this study and the impact for future research, please visit http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247320.php.