Strengthen and Boost Your Immune System with Sleep As world-wide anxiety builds around the spread of coronavirus, one behavior that has been proven time and time again to reduce the incidence and intensity of disease is getting sufficient sleep. In honor of World Sleep Day, and because sleep may be particularly important during a potential pandemic, we’ll dive into the science behind the relationship between sleep and immunity. How Sleep Affects Your Immune System While the COVID-19 disease and the novel coronavirus that causes it are new and therefore relatively poorly understood and understudied, research by Dr. Aric Prather out of UC San Francisco on another type of Coronavirus - the common cold - demonstrated that “people who sleep six hours a night or less are four times more likely [...]

KUALA LUMPUR: Adequate sleep is the best way to enhance and improve the immune system, and subsequently help to reduce the risk from contracting Covid-19. Dr Nurul Yaqeen Mohd Esa, who is a respiratory specialist and general physician at Sunway Medical Centre Velocity (SMCV), said research has proven that an adult needed at least seven hours of sleep to sustain health. On the other hand, lack of sleep will make our immune system weak, she said. “Studies have also shown that between 30 and 40 per cent adults do not get enough sleep, nor do they have knowledge on how much sleep they should be getting. “Many doctors and healthcare providers in China have died because of the infection, partly from overwork and lack of sleep,” she added. Although the [...]

The coronavirus outbreak that has devastated China and left the world scrambling for answers has also reinforced the important role sleep plays in building our immune systems. In a nutshell: Making sure we consistently get a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways we can improve our immunity and defend against viruses and disease. Sleep is a natural immune booster. To be clear, I’m not suggesting sleep is a cure-all for the coronavirus. That isn’t the case; currently, there is no vaccine for the infection. The coronavirus has, by Feb. 20, killed more than 2,100 people globally. Altogether, nearly 75,000 cases have been confirmed, mostly in China, where the country has ground to a halt as it looks to safeguard against a further outbreak. The coronavirus has also become a [...]

Just about anyone could catch the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that is spreading around the world, but it is especially affecting those who have compromised immune systems. The City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Health Department, Inova Health System, and Alexandria City Public Schools officials will host an online virtual information session on Thursday, March 12, from 8 to 9 p.m., to provide information and answer questions about the COVID-19 coronavirus. The session will be accessible at alexandriava.gov/Health and residents may submit questions in advance through that website. The virtual info session will provide useful details about how to protect yourself, plus information about how government and the health care sector are preparing for additional impacts from the virus; and how businesses and nonprofit organizations can protect themselves and help. At this point, national health officials have [...]

During this time of heightened awareness about public health, it’s important to take stock of your own to make sure you’re checking all the boxes. In order to avoid contracting the novel Coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes the importance of washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water.  Extra precautions past washing your hands are, of course, recommended. One way to make your immune system as strong as it can be is to make sure you are getting a solid night’s sleep. Dr. Patrick McNamara, of Psychology Today, emphasizes that getting quality sleep should be added to your list of preventative measures. ow can a good sleep routine protect you against coronavirus? “Getting enough sleep can help protect you against all kinds of common infections and [...]