A new study suggests that getting good sleep may do more than just help you feel rested—it could also protect you from serious infections that require hospitalization.
Researchers from Southern Medical University in China analyzed data from nearly 400,000 people in the UK and found that healthy sleep habits were linked to a significantly lower risk of being hospitalized for infectious diseases.
Sleep is well known to support both mental and physical health. It helps improve memory, focus, and mood, promotes recovery, and strengthens the immune system. Most experts recommend 7–8 hours of good quality sleep each night.
This study, published in Translational Psychiatry, adds to the growing body of evidence showing how sleep directly affects our ability to fight off disease.
The researchers, including Hong-Min Li and Xi-Ru Zhang, used data from the UK Biobank—a large health database containing information from hundreds of thousands of people. They focused on participants’ sleep patterns and tracked hospitalizations for infections over a period of about 13.5 years.
In total, they analyzed records from 397,523 adults, among whom more than 60,000 were hospitalized for infections during the study period.
To understand the role of sleep, the researchers created a “healthy sleep score” based on four key factors:
- Sleeping 7–8 hours per night
- Being a morning person (early chronotype)
- Not suffering from insomnia
- Not feeling excessively sleepy during the day
Each participant was given a score depending on how many of these healthy sleep behaviors they followed. The more healthy sleep habits a person had, the lower their risk of being hospitalized for infections.
The results were clear: people who followed all four healthy sleep behaviors had the lowest risk of infection-related hospitalizations. In fact, even a one-point increase in the healthy sleep score was linked to a 9% lower risk of sepsis and up to a 20% lower risk of liver infections.
Overall, more than 10% of infection-related hospitalizations might have been prevented if everyone followed all four good sleep habits.
The protective effects of good sleep were especially strong in people under 65 years old and in women. While the study didn’t directly explain why this might be the case, it’s likely related to how sleep affects immune function differently across age groups and genders.
This research builds on earlier studies that found sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system and may make people more vulnerable to illnesses like the flu, COVID-19, or bacterial infections. What makes this study stand out is its large sample size, long follow-up period, and focus on real-world hospital data.
The authors note that while sleep might seem like a personal habit, it’s actually a modifiable health behavior—something people can change to improve their overall well-being. They suggest that promoting better sleep hygiene could become part of public health strategies to reduce the burden of infectious diseases worldwide.
Infections are a major cause of death globally, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 deaths. With good sleep being something that is both free and achievable for many people, this research highlights a simple yet powerful tool for disease prevention.
In summary, this large-scale study shows that getting consistent, high-quality sleep may play a critical role in preventing serious infections. It’s one more reason to prioritize sleep—not just for energy and focus, but for long-term health and immunity too.
If you care about medicine, please read studies that vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases, and drug for inflammation may stop spread of cancer.
For more health information, please see recent studies about which drug can harm your liver most, and results showing this drug can give your immune system a double boost against cancer.
The research findings can be found in Translational Psychiatry
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
