INTERFERON-α ACUTELY IMPAIRS SLEEP IN HEALTHY HUMANS
Abstract
We investigated the effects of two low doses of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) on nocturnal sleep in 18 healthy men by means of polysomnographic sleep recordings. At 1900h, human recombinant IFN-alpha (1000 or 10000 U/kg body weight) or placebo was administered subcutaneously. Between 2300h and 0700h subjects were allowed to sleep. In general effects were stronger at the dose of 10000 than 1000 U/kg body weight of IFN-alpha. Although, after IFN-alpha subjects experienced increased fatigue, the cytokine impaired the quality of nocturnal sleep. The higher dose of IFN-alpha suppressed slow wave sleep (17.8 +/- 2.0% vs 25.2 +/- 2.6% following placebo, P<0.003) but increased time spent in shallow sleep (P<0.05) during the first half of sleep time. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency was postponed (P<0.02) and time spent in REM sleep was significantly decreased after IFN-alpha (P<0.04). The impairing influence of IFN-alpha on sleep in humans is in contrast with findings of sleep promoting effects of this cytokine in animals. Our data suggest that endogenous IFN-alpha may be a factor responsible for alterations of sleep, e.g. in the course of viral infections.
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Subcutaneous administration of IL-6 before sleep initiation in healthy participants resulted in delayed REM sleep latency and reduced REM sleep amount, without a change in total NREM sleep amount.
“subcutaneous administration before sleep initiation in healthy participants resulted in a delayed REM sleep latency and reduced REM sleep amount, without a change in total NREM sleep amount (519).”
From The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease (2019) · cites this paper as [519]
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The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Späth-Schwalbe, E., Lange, T., Perras, B., Lorenz Fehm, H., & Born, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Lübeck (DE)
- ORCID
- Lange, Tanja
- Venue
- Cytokine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-05
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 518-521
- ISSN
- 1043-4666 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2049020627
- Cited by
- 56
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 1.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cytokine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Keywords
- interferon-alpha, sleep, sleep quality, slow-wave sleep, REM sleep, REM latency, fatigue, cytokines, dose-dependent effects, viral infection, healthy men
- MeSH terms
- Interferon alpha-2, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Adult, Blood Pressure, Health Status, Heart Rate, Humans, Injections, Subcutaneous, Male, Recombinant Proteins, Sleep, Temperature, Interleukin-6, Interferon-alpha, Polysomnography
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