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Lockdown, curfew, or even testing the entire population are measures being taken by countries all over the world against the corona epidemic. One overlooked and unused measure however, is doing nothing. Well doing nothing… or rather, sleeping! You’re probably thinking that I am not making a whole lot of sense but bear with me as I will explain how the mild measure of sleeping could be one of the most influential ones.

from 2015 compared sleep schedules of 164 different participants during a week and afterward administered nasal drops with rhinovirus, the common cold. As it turns out, people who slept less than seven hours a night were more than four times more susceptible to catching a cold compared to those who slept over eight hours a night. from the same lab showed that people who sleep steadily through the whole night are also more resistant to the virus. So, although this has not yet been studied for COVID-19, sleep improves our resistance against virus infection.

People who slept less than seven hours a night were more than four times more susceptible to catching a cold.

This is a short-term benefit of sleep, but there is also a long-term perk. To overcome the virus in the long run we have started vaccinating people earlier this month. Vaccination causes an immune response that protects us for a certain period of time when we come into contact with the real virus. Having better sleep before vaccination boosts our protection even in the long term, as found by for hepatitis B vaccination. Thus, sleep also helps the effectiveness of vaccination.

Overall, sleep is a mild measure that could benefit us both in the short and long term. UU researcher that more than 50 percent of people feel they don’t get enough sleep for two or more days a week. So how can we improve our sleep quality? In , researcher on sleep, he touches on some aspects that can aid us in finding higher quality and longer more consistent nights. He tells us that by not consuming too much alcohol and caffeine and having a regular sleep schedule in a cold and dark room we can improve our sleep quality and quantity greatly. So, stay safe and sleep well!