The relationship between perceived reduced (immune) resistance, sleep and daytime functioning

Introduction: It has been suggested that immune functioning acts as a mediator in the relationship between sleep and health. The current survey was conducted to explore the relationship between perceived reduced (immune) resistance and sleep, with a speciic focus on sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and daytime functioning. Methods: A survey was held among Dutch young adults (18-35 years old). In addition to demographics, questions were answered on perceived immune function (resistance) and its relationship with sleep quality and duration. SLEEP-50 subscales of sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorder, and daytime functioning were completed, and scores of subjects reporting reduced resistance were compared to those reporting a normal health status. Results: N = 574 Dutch young adults (mean age 22.3 years old, 68.5% women) completed the survey. N = 209 subjects (36.4%) reported reduced resistance. They were signiicantly older (22.5 versus 21.9 years old, p = 0.024), smoked more cigarettes per day (1.8 versus 0.7 cigarettes, p = 0.001) and consumed more alcohol per week (10.5 versus 8.1 drinks, p = 0.009) when compared to subjects that reported a normal health status. According to SLEEP-50 thresholds only few of the subjects could be formally classiied as having a sleep disorder (N = 13, 2.2%). Nevertheless, clear differences in sleep scores were found related to perceived immune status. Relative to those reporting a normal health status, subjects with reduced resistance reported signiicantly higher scores (p = 0.0001) on sleep apnea (2.6 versus 3.6), insomnia (5.1 versus 6.8), and circadian rhythm disorder (2.1 versus 2.7). Sleep quality was rated signiicantly lower in those reporting reduced resistance (6.8 versus 7.2, p = 0.0001), but no signiicant difference was found on total sleep time. Subjects with reduced resistance also reported signiicantly poorer daytime functioning (5.4 versus 7.6, p = 0.0001). Conclusion: Perceived reduced (immune) resistance is associated with sleep disturbances and impaired daytime functioning.