Viruses Are More Dangerous in the Morning

Who would have thought that the timing of a virus's attack on the body could affect the severity of the resulting illnesses? However, researchers at Cambridge University now say that viruses are more dangerous in the morning. According to the PNAS website, which publishes the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, this research shows that a viral attack occurring in the morning can be up to ten times more severe than the same attack at other times of the day. Additionally, the results of this research on laboratory animals indicate that disruption of sleep patterns, which may occur due to changes in work hours or jet lag after long flights, weakens the body against viruses. The researchers say the findings may lead to new methods for preventing and combating public infectious diseases. According to the BBC World Service, unlike bacteria or parasites, the survival and reproduction of viruses completely depend on the cells they attack. This means they must take control of the internal functioning of the cell. However, these cells change throughout the day. Professor Akhilesh Reddy, one of the researchers in this group, states that accessing the full functionality of these cells requires time; otherwise, they may not survive in the body. A small infection that starts in the morning may soon spread throughout the entire body. Dr. Akhilesh believes that this new finding could be very useful for timely control of common infectious diseases, as it informs individuals that they should avoid contact with others in the morning or minimize their interactions. Dr. Rachel Edgar, another researcher on this project, notes that another reason this finding is significant is that night shift workers or those with irregular sleep patterns realize that their bodies have less resistance to viruses and should take preventive measures more seriously than others.