Sleep as a likely immunomodulation agent: novel approach in the treatment of COVID-19

Abstract

The potential advantages of sleep concerning suppressing cytokine storms and inflammation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on its immunopathogenesis are summarized in the current study. COVID-19 as a global pandemic in the past months has afflicted many people. Clinical properties, pathology, and the pathogenesis of acute respiratory disorder caused by coronaviruses or other pathogens are evidence implying the probable contribution of oxidation, excessive inflammation, and excessive immune response, particularly cytokine storm, to the pathology of COVID-19. According to findings by experimental and clinical research on animals and in humans, sleep loss impairs immune function. Sleep loss strongly influences peripheral levels of the immune response’s inflammatory mediators, which is accomplished by the generation of various hormones and mediators during sleep. There are a large number of studies supporting the presence of reciprocal regulation between low-intensity inflammatory response and sleep. By improving sleep quality and at the same time adjusting the circadian rhythm, it may be possible to prevent infections and boost immunity. As a result, sufficient (or even more) sleep duration may lower susceptibility to COVID-19 infection as well as increase antibody levels.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• sleep
• immune response
• cytokine storm
• inflammation

Acknowledgements

The respective figures were generated from online software BioRender available at https://app.biorender.com/. K.H., H.E., M.K., A.H., G.F., T.B., and M.A. contribute equally to the conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of the data; the drafting of the paper, revising it critically for intellectual content; and the final approval of the version to be published; and that all authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.