AUTHOR=Zhang Yujing , Wu Yuming , Xu Dan , Xiao Ping , Xie Bing , Huang Haiyan , Shang You , Yuan Shiying , Zhang Jiancheng 

TITLE=Very-Short-Term Sleep Deprivation Slows Early Recovery of Lymphocytes in Septic Patients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.656615

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.656615

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=Sleep plays an important role in immune function. However, the effects of very short-term sleep deprivation on early recovery of immune function after sepsis remain unclear. This study was conducted in the intensive care unit to investigate the effects of two consecutive days of sleep deprivation (SD) on lymphocyte recovery over the following few days in septic patients who were recovering from critical illness. The patients’ self-reports of sleep quality was assessed using the Richards-Campbell sleep questionnaire at 0 and 24 hours after inclusion. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected and compared between the good-sleep group and poor-sleep group. We found that two consecutive days of SD decreased the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and ALC recovery at 3 days after SD. Furthermore, post-septic poor-sleep decreased the plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) immediately after two consecutive days of SD. The ANP levels at 24 hours after inclusion were positively correlated with the ALC recovery, the number of CD3+ T cells or the number of CD3+ CD4+ cells in the peripheral blood on day 5 after inclusion. Our data suggested that very short-term poor-sleep quality could slow lymphocyte recovery over the following few days in septic patients who were recovering from critical illness. Our results underscore the significance of very short-term SD on the serious negative effects on the immune function. Therefore, it is suggested that continuous SD or several short-term SD with short intervals should be avoided in septic patients.