Sleep, it's useful!
According to a new study conducted by Mount Sinai Medical School, chronic lack of sleep leads to increased formation of white blood cells, which, in turn, is associated with excessive inflammation. Restoring sleep does not eliminate the effects of sleep deprivation.
The new study involved 14 healthy adults who regularly sleep for eight hours a day. After six weeks of eight-hour sleep, blood samples were taken from them. Then the same group of adults reduced their sleep time by 90 minutes, and after six weeks their blood was re-examined. Blood samples were compared. All participants had significant changes in the number and structure of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells due to lack of sleep - there were more of them, and the DNA structure changed. After six weeks of sleep restriction, the participants had an increased number of immune cells.
The researchers also analyzed the effects of sleep on blood cells in mouse models. Mice were either not disturbed to sleep, or sleep was fragmented – they were woken up during the rest period. After 16 weeks, the mice from the group of defective sleep were allowed to sleep for ten weeks. The researchers took blood samples from mice during the phases of restful, fragmented and again restful sleep, analyzed them and compared them at the end of the experiment. The results in mice were consistent with the results in humans. In all animals with fragmented sleep, significant changes occurred in the structure of immune cell progenitor cells, resulting in an increase in the number of leukocytes, and signs of reprogramming were also detected. A remarkable discovery was that even after sleep was restored, the stem cells retained their altered structure, and they continued to produce excess leukocytes.
Sleep deficiency leaves a molecular imprint on stem cells, which persists even after several weeks of regime recovery. These changes can cause immune cells to react inappropriately, leading to excessive inflammation. Not all clusters of stem cells reacted to insufficient sleep in the same way: some increased in number, while others became smaller. This reduction in the overall diversity and aging of the immune stem cell population is an important cause of inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.
Article by C.McAlpine et al. Sleep exerts lasting effects on hematopoietic stem cell function and diversity published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru .