Why do sleep-deprived people tend to be more prone to illness?

Sleep deprivation results in a large number of negative effects on the brain and body. Sleep is needed for many self-regulating and restorative functions. One of which is to reduce the level of activity of the brain, reducing neurotransmitter usage/turnover, and allowing for neurotransmitter replenishment while also "resetting" the stimulation threshold of neural systems.

In order for neurons to fire, they need to be stimulated beyond a relative threshold that is maintained by a complex set of receptors and neurotransmitters working together to maintain thresholds and stimulation/inhibition levels. As the brain processes information throughout the day, these relative thresholds are increased, requiring larger stimulation to maintain the same neural firing (reaction to stimulus) as before. In order to reset these thresholds, reduction in neural activity is required, which NREM/REM cycles allow.In addition to this, the immune system is coupled to the nervous system via cytokines, catecholamines, and other chemicals.

When a person becomes sleep-deprived, their cortisol (stress hormone) levels increase, which have a negative effect on the immune system's functioning. As the immune system is less able to fight off infections, the sleep-deprived person becomes more susceptible to illness. The correlation between the nervous system and the immune system is so prominent, in fact, that an entire field has been dedicated to its study: neuroimmunology.

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