Fatigue is a common complaint of chronic Hepatitis C sufferers. Fatigue is triggered by many factors, but insufficient sleep is considered to be the major cause and too many sleepless nights worsen the condition of Hepatitis C sufferers.

3 benefits of proper sleep:

1. Cellular Rejuvenation

Sleep experts claim that adults need 7-9 hours of continuous sleep every night for the rejuvenation of body functions. For hepatitis C patients, it is crucial that their liver cells should be rejuvenated and prevented from becoming more damaged.

2. Increase in Memory and Immunity

Dr. Sunita Kumar, co-director of the Center for Sleep Disorders from Loyola University Medical Center, revealed that while sleeping, our body makes cells which could boost our immune systems to destroy pathogens. It has also been reported that people who slept at least 8 hours a night were thrice less likely to be infected with colds, compared to those who sleep for less than 7 hours.

A lot more research still needs to be done in order to better understand the connection between deep sleep and T cell memory. Yet research does support the idea that deep sleep helps combat the hepatitis C virus. Hence it is estimated that 15% of hepatitis C infected patients could clear away the virus naturally.

3. Reduction of inflammation

The hepatitis C virus causes liver inflammation, which eventually leads to liver cell injury. Insufficient sleep produces high levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, which leads to liver inflammation.

Though the mechanism behind all these links is not yet clear, it is clear that insufficient sleep worsens the condition of Hepatitis C disease.