Effect of Aerobic Training on Immune and Hormonal Responses to 30 Hours of Sleep Deprivation in Young Women

Background: Sleep deprivation might suppress the immune system by stimulating stress hormones and increasing susceptibility to infection. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of 8 weeks of aerobic training on immune and hormonal responses to 30 hours of sleep deprivation in young women. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 21 young women aged 20 - 40 years were divided into control (n = 10) and aerobic training (n = 11) groups. The study was conducted in three separate stages. In the first stage, after 30 hours of sleep deprivation, blood sampling was performed. After 2 days, the subjects in the training group followed an aerobic training protocol consisting of 30 - 50 minutes of continuous running 3 days a week for 8 weeks with an intensity of 50 - 65% of the heart rate reserve (HRR). At least 48 hours after the last training session, the subjects in both control and training groups were deprived of sleep for 30 hours, and the blood samples were taken again. Leukocyte counts, serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and cortisol concentrations were measured. Results: The results showed that in the aerobic training group, the leukocytes count (P = 0.0001), serum IgA (P = 0.0001), and cortisol (P = 0.023) concentrations decreased significantly, compared to the control group (P < 0.05). However, serum IgG concentrations did not change significantly in both aerobic and control training groups during the intervention period (P = 0.084). Conclusions: According to the results of this study, it can be said that moderate-intensity aerobic training attenuated the disruption of immune and hormonal responses to 30 hours of sleep deprivation in young women.