“Sleep Disturbance, Sleep Duration, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies and Experimental Sleep Deprivation”, 2016 (; similar):
Background: Sleep disturbance is associated with inflammatory disease risk and all-cause mortality. Here, we assess global evidence linking sleep disturbance, sleep duration, and inflammation in adult humans.
Method: A systematic search of English language publications was performed, with inclusion of primary research articles that characterized sleep disturbance and/or sleep duration or performed experimental sleep deprivation and assessed inflammation by levels of circulating markers. Effect sizes (ES) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted and pooled using a random effect model.
Results: A total of 72 studies (n > 50,000) were analyzed with assessment of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Sleep disturbance was associated with higher levels of CRP (ES 0.12; 95% CI = 0.05-0.19) and IL-6 (ES 0.20; 95% CI = 0.08-0.31). Shorter sleep duration, but not the extreme of short sleep, was associated with higher levels of CRP (ES 0.09; 95% CI = 0.01-0.17) but not IL-6 (ES 0.03; 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.14). The extreme of long sleep duration was associated with higher levels of CRP (ES 0.17; 95% CI = 0.01-0.34) and IL-6 (ES 0.11; 95% CI = 0.02–20). Neither sleep disturbances nor sleep duration was associated with TNFα. Neither experimental sleep deprivation nor sleep restriction was associated with CRP, IL-6, or TNFα. Some heterogeneity among studies was found, but there was no evidence of publication bias.
Conclusion: Sleep disturbance and long sleep duration, but not short sleep duration, are associated with increases in markers of systemic inflammation.