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Review
. 2022 Feb 16;4(1):66-79.
doi: 10.3390/clockssleep4010008.

The Importance of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms for Vaccination Success and Susceptibility to Viral Infections

Nina C M Schmitz  1 , Ysbrand D van der Werf  1 , Heidi M Lammers-van der Holst  2
Affiliations
Review

The Importance of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms for Vaccination Success and Susceptibility to Viral Infections

Nina C M Schmitz et al. Clocks Sleep. .

Abstract

Sleep and circadian rhythms are closely involved in the immune system and its regulation. Here, we describe this relationship and provide recommendations regarding the influence of sleep and circadian rhythms on vaccination success. We review studies investigating how viral susceptibility is influenced by changes in immunological parameters as a consequence of sleep deprivation. Short sleep duration and poor sleep efficiency both appear to be strong factors leading to greater vulnerability. In addition, both sleep duration and the time of day of the vaccination seem to be associated with the magnitude of the antibody response after vaccination. Based on these findings, a recommendation would consist of a sleep duration of 7 h or more every night to both reduce the risk of infection and to optimize the efficacy of vaccination with respect to circadian timing. Improving sleep quality and its circadian timing can potentially play a role in preventing infection and in vaccination benefits. In conclusion, sufficient (or longer) sleep duration is important in both reducing susceptibility to infection and increasing antibody response after vaccination.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; circadian rhythms; cold; coronavirus; immune function; sleep; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic overview of how sleep and the circadian rhythm potentially affect viral susceptibility and vaccination success: a good night’s sleep on the one hand leads to a more optimal day–night balance in cellular immunity and cytokine production, resulting in reduced viral susceptibility (left downward arrow); on the other hand, it would lead to an improved response to vaccination through a better immunological response to the vaccine antigens (right upward arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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