How sleep deprivation can cause inflammation

Research has found that sleep deprivation is associated with markers of inflammation, such as increases in
inflammatory molecules – including cytokines, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation that’s elevated in people at risk for heart disease and diabetes), and others.

While these signs of inflammation could be attributed to other factors – stress, smoking, or obesity, for example – they do suggest that sleep deprivation plays a role in the inflammatory process. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to disease and injury; it is usually a temporary response and serves as an effective defense mechanism. But when
inflammation doesn’t let up, it can contribute to the development of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.