Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common, mostly self-limiting, but cause inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions. Poor sleep may be a predisposing factor for URTIs, but the evidence is unclear.

The present study systematically reviewed whether sleep duration and quality influence the frequency and duration of URTIs.

It searched three databases and bibliographies of included papers for studies assessing associations between sleep duration or quality and URTIs. It performed dual title and abstract selection, discussed full-text exclusion decisions, and completed 50% of data extraction in duplicate. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale assessed the study quality, and it estimated odds ratios (ORs) using random effects meta-analysis.

The study observed-

• The search identified 5146 papers.
• Eleven met inclusion criteria, with nine included in meta-analyses: four had good, two had fair, and five had a poor risk of bias.
• Compared to the ′normal′ sleep duration, shorter sleep was associated with increased URTIs, while longer sleep was not.
• Sleeping shorter than 7-9 hours was associated with increased URTIs while sleeping longer than 7-9 hours was non-significantly associated with increased URTIs. 

The study couldn′t pool sleep quality studies. It found no studies on sleep duration and URTI severity or duration.

This study describes that reduced sleep, particularly shorter than 7-9 hours, is associated with increased URTIs. We should implement strategies to improve sleep to prevent URTIs.

Fam Pract. 2021 Nov 24;38(6):802-810. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmab033. PMID: 33997896; PMCID: PMC8656143.