The Effect of Sleep Disruption and Circadian Misalignment on the Immune System

Sleep disruption and circadian misalignment are associated with an increased risk for infectious and inflammatory pathologies, including cardiometabolic, neoplastic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases. Sleep and circadian rhythms are closely involved in the regulation of the immune system. Impairments of sleep quantity, quality, and timing, as well as circadian misalignment, result in derangements of innate and adaptive immune responses leading to a chronic inflammatory state and a decrease of the immune defense and reaction to threats (infection or injury). The immune system potentially plays an important mechanistic role in the relation between sleep disruption and circadian misalignment, and adverse health effects. By regulating the immune system, sleep- and circadian-centered intervention may beneficially impact overall health and on the prevention—and treatment—of infections and chronic diseases, especially in the modern lifestyles characterized by a multiplicity of social and environmental pressures on sleep and circadian rhythms, and in times of infectious disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19, where an effective immunity is of utmost importance.