Sleep, Stress & Your Immune System: Staying Steady This Season

This month, we’re walking with you through four weeks of simple, science-based steps to help your family stay healthier during cold and flu season.
As we move deeper into November, we want to wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 filled with rest, joy, and connection.
At Ryan Chiropractic Wellness, we are truly thankful for our amazing patient family—your trust, support, and commitment to healthier living mean so much to us.

Looking Back: Weeks 1 & 2 in a Nutshell

In Week 1,
we looked at what the immune system is and how it acts like your body’s defense team.

Then, in Week 2,
we talked about sugar, holidays and immune balance and how treats can fit into a healthier pattern.

This week, we are focusing on something most parents feel as the calendar fills up:
less sleep, more stress and an immune system that is trying to keep up.
When we understand how sleep and stress work together, it becomes easier to make small changes that support the whole family.

How Sleep Supports Your Immune Defenses

Sleep is not just “time off.” Instead, it is active repair time.
During sleep, your body works on tissues, clears out waste products and helps your immune system reset.
Certain immune cells and proteins are released and balanced while you rest, so your body can recognize and respond to infections more effectively.

What Research Tells Us

Research suggests that people who regularly get too little sleep are more likely to catch common infections,
like colds, than those who sleep longer and more consistently. For example, one study found that adults who slept less than 6 hours per night
were significantly more likely to develop a cold after being exposed to a virus than those who slept 7 hours or more.

You can read a summary of that research here:

Sleep and immune function – NIH review
.
This type of study does not mean that sleep can prevent every illness, but it does show that sleep is one of the building blocks
of a strong immune response.

For kids and teens, consistent bedtimes are just as important. Their brains and immune systems are still developing.
As a result, a long stretch of late nights and early mornings can leave them more vulnerable to every bug circulating through school and activities.

A Holiday Reality Check

During the holidays, it is easy for the schedule to slide.
School concerts, parties, travel, shopping and late-night wrapping sessions can all chip away at sleep.
Of course, special nights will happen. However, protecting most nights of the week with a steady routine can make a real difference
for everyone’s mood and immune strength.

How Stress Interacts with Immunity

Stress itself is not the enemy. Your body is designed to handle short bursts of stress, such as running late,
facing a tough deadline or dealing with a surprise change in plans.
The bigger issue is chronic stress, the kind that feels like it never lets up.

When stress stays high over time, your body may produce more of certain hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline.
In small doses these hormones are helpful. However, if they remain elevated, they can contribute to inflammation and affect how immune cells move and respond.
In simple terms, your immune team can become overworked and less coordinated.

Why Parents Often Feel It the Most

In many families, parents carry the mental list of everything—gifts, meals, rides, parties, work deadlines, school emails and more.
That constant mental load can keep your body in a low-level “alert” state.

At the same time, sugar intake may creep up, movement may drop and sleep may suffer.
Taken together, these factors increase the strain on your immune system right when you need it to be steady.
This is one reason small daily practices for calm and rest are not selfish; they are part of caring for your whole family.

Simple Holiday-Friendly Habits for Better Sleep & Less Stress

The good news is that you do not need a perfect routine to support your immune system.
Instead, you can choose a few clear priorities that fit your season of life.
Here are some family-friendly ideas you can start this week:

• Protect bedtimes most nights: Choose a consistent “lights out” time for kids and aim to hit it at least 4–5 nights per week.
• Create a short wind-down ritual: Ten to fifteen minutes of reading, prayer, stretching or calm music signals to the brain that it is time to rest.
• Schedule “no event” evenings: Block out at least one or two nights each week with nothing on the calendar so everyone can reset.
• Take mini reset breaks: Even 3 deep breaths, a short walk or a quick moment of gratitude can lower stress in the moment.
• Lower perfection expectations: Choose a few meaningful traditions and let go of the pressure to do everything perfectly.

This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.
Always consult your healthcare provider before starting new supplements, changing existing care, or making major shifts in your family’s routines.