Healio (2/10, Volansky) reports, “Poor sleep quality and duration can drive inflammatory and antiviral immune responses, which, in turn, often exacerbate sleep disturbances, according to a” presentation given by Michael R. Irwin, MD, “Cousins Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA,” at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician virtual symposium. Irwin posited that “inadequate sleep may have impacts on TNF, interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein levels,” and due to these impacts, “sleep disturbance is not only a consequence of inflammation, but a driver of inflammation in what he called ‘a feed forward loop.’” Irwin stressed that “sleep disturbance can have comparable adverse impacts on inflammation and antiviral immunity as poor diet, sedentary activity and obesity.” (SOURCE: APA Headlines)