Regularly staying up late, or having a disrupted sleep pattern, leaves us open to infection and illness, according to new research.
Our immune system is linked to our sleep cycle, and will be damaged if regular sleep patterns are disturbed.
Researchers have found that the circadian clock - the genetic mechanism which regulates our sleep - controls the level of a gene vital to our immune system.
Disrupted sleep: Everyone knows that a disrupted sleep pattern can lead to feelings of being run-down. But A Yale University study has linked a lack of sleep with a reduced immune system
Scientists from Yale University linked the gene TLR-9 to the cycle in mice.
When expressions of the gene were highest, it was able to respond best to bacteria and viruses.
Similarly, the mice responded better to infection and vaccinations.
Disruptions to the cycle can effect the expression of the gene, making us more susceptible to illness, reports journal Immunity.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2102057/Not-sleeping-CAN-damage-immune-make-ill-says-study.html#ixzz1mZsVvYGm
