REM SLEEP DEPRIVATION: INFLUENCE ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO VACCINATION

Abstract

Sleep is a cyclical physiological state that plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis, balancing biological processes, and ensuring the proper functioning of the organism. There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep and the immune system, and the mechanisms through which sleep and alterations in it may influence the immune response are not fully understood but are the subject of ongoing research. Sleep affects a wide range of immune parameters and the lack of sleep has been associated with changes in both innate and adaptive responses, influencing susceptibility to pathogens, the course of an infection, and the immune response to vaccination.In contrast to the abundance of data on the impact of naturally or experimentally induced sleep loss on isolated immune parameters, few studies have investigated its direct effect on the immune response to vaccination. Some human studies have linked sleep duration to the effector immune response induced by vaccines, suggesting that sleeping on the nights before and after immunization is essential to ensure vaccine effectiveness.Given the above, the main objective of this project will be to study the impact of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep deprivation on humoral and cellular immune responses following vaccination. Additionally, we will assess the timing of vaccination at which REM sleep deprivation most significantly influences antigen-specific responses.