Waking Up to a Deep Slumber: How Hospitals Can Combat Pathogen Infections
A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has revealed that deep sleep may be an effective way to prevent hospital-acquired infections. The study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, found that deep sleep in mice significantly reduced the number of hospital-acquired infections. The researchers found that when mice were kept in a state of deep sleep for several hours each day, they had significantly fewer infections than mice that were kept awake. The researchers believe that this is due to the fact that deep sleep reduces the amount of time that bacteria and other infectious agents have to colonize the body. The findings could have implications for humans, as well, as hospital-acquired infections are a major problem in healthcare settings. The researchers hope that their findings may lead to new treatments or preventative measures for hospital-acquired infections.
source: Phys.org