Dr. Zee discusses the importance of sleep for immune health and mental health, and what we can do to sleep better during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following are some highlights from an edited transcript of the interview. RELATED: Tippi Coronavirus: Tips for Living With COVID-19 Maureen Connolly: We all know sleep is important, but I don’t think we realize how big a role sleep plays in immune health. Can you speak to the connection between the two? For example, the flu vaccine. We know that healthy individuals who are sleep deprived after getting the flu vaccine aren’t able to mount the antibody response that you normally would expect for about a week. So, it’s really delayed compared with those who were able to get a good night’s sleep right after getting the vaccine. RELATED: Is COVID-19 Anxiety Messing With Your Sleep? 8 Tips for Getting Your Sleep Back on Track Connolly: With the pandemic, many people aren’t sleeping well and are struggling with a lack of focus the next day. Outside of the immune system, what are other potential impacts on our health that you’re seeing right now? Zee: Sleep has so many important consequences for health. One of them is metabolism. Let’s take food, for example. When you don’t sleep, you’re not able to utilize the sugars, glucose, and nutrients you’re ingesting from food. We know that a lack of sleep or mis-timed sleep can lead to weight gain. If you are already overweight, it may increase the risk for diabetes, and it also affects your ability to regulate blood pressure. So sleep has really broad effects on your cardiovascular system, your metabolic system, and of course, your immune system. RELATED: How to Start a Self-Care Routine You’ll Stick To Connolly: When it comes to electronics and getting a good night’s sleep, when should we be signing off or shutting down our computers, phones, and TV? Is there a window of time that works best? Zee: I would say at least an hour to really allow yourself time to wind down. I also think part of the anxiety — certainly what I’m experiencing — is watching the news over and over again. What I’ve done for myself and what I recommend to my patients, is to just watch the news at the end of the day and not watch it over and over or get into it at bedtime. One to two hours before bedtime, you should dim down your lights, do something to relax, and then when you do get into bed, certainly do not take your phone with you. Especially when we’re vulnerable or for those who have insomnia already, it is extremely important to be mindful of the light at night, when you eat, and how much light you get during the day.
