Staying up late not only keeps the body becomes lethargic and weak, but also can make easy to get sick. What is a medical reason behind this phenomenon?

After undergoing a heavy night by staying up all hours of sleep or less, usually more complaints will also occur, for example, the body becomes easy to illness or other complaints. In this regard, alleged that staying up is closely linked to the body's immune system.

However, if it is true?

The answer is: Yes. Lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who do not have a quality sleep or sleep enough are more likely to get sick after exposure to the virus, such as influenza virus for example. In addition, lack of sleep can also affect how quickly you get back healthy or recover if you get sick.

During sleep, your immune system releases proteins named cytokines, some of which help you to sleep. Certain cytokines can increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you are stressed. Well, lack of sleep can reduce the production of these cytokines. In addition, antibodies and cells that serve to fight infections is becoming more inactive during periods when you do not have enough time to sleep.

So, your body's need for sleep actually protect against the risk of infection. In addition, long-term sleep deprivation also increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease and blood vessel (cardiovascular).

So how much sleep do you need to strengthen your immune system?

The optimal amount of sleep for most adults is 7-8 hours of sleep. Teens need a longer time, which is about 9-10 hours of sleep. While school-age children need about 10 or more hours of sleep.

However, more  sleep is not always better. For adults, sleeping more than 9 or 10 hours a night can lead to poor sleep quality.