Sleeping When Sick: Can You Sleep Too Much? - Healthline

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What to Know About Sleeping When You’re Sick

Medically reviewed by Avi Varma, MD, MPH, AAHIVS, FAAFP — Written by Erica Hersh — Updated on July 1, 2025

Why are you sleepy?
Benefits of sleep
How much is too much?
Sleep tips
Takeaway

When you have an illness, sleeping can help support the immune processes your body uses to fight an infection. You may need more sleep than you otherwise would.

Young woman sleeping on a couch covered by a pink blanket.

It’s common for an illness to make you feel tired and lethargic. You may find yourself dozing in bed or on the couch all day.

Sleeping when you’re sick is good for you. The urge to crawl into bed and close your eyes is your body telling you to slow down and rest, so you can get healthy.

Read on to learn more about how sleep boosts your immune system and how you can get a good night’s rest even with a cough or stuffy nose.

Why do you feel sleepy when you’re sick?

Sleep gives your body time to repair itself, which is especially important when you’re sick.

When you sleep, certain immune processes take place that can bolster your body’s ability to fight off an illness. If you get sleepy when you’re feeling under the weather, it may be your body’s way of trying to let those processes kick in.

Fighting an illness also requires a lot of energy, which can make one feel tired.

What are the benefits of sleep when you’re sick?

Most benefits of sleep when you’re sick are related to helping your immune system do its job and fight your illness. This happens in a few different ways.

First, cytokines, a type of protein in your immune system that targets infections, are produced and released during sleep. This helps jump-start your immune response to your illness.

Your body also has a better fever response during sleep — which is another way it fights infection.

A fever helps your body fight infections by stimulating your immune system. By increasing your body’s temperature, a fever also makes it harder for bacteria and viruses that may be causing your illness to survive.

Your immune system also needs energy to function. When you’re awake, your body needs to direct energy to activities like thinking or moving around.

If you’re sleeping, your body can redirect that energy to your immune system so you can get better as quickly as possible.

A lack of energy can also help keep you safe. Because your immune system is busy fighting the infection you have, it doesn’t fight as well against any new potential illnesses. Feeling tired can prevent you from going out and exposing yourself to potential germs and diseases.

And since research suggests that lack of sleep can make you more susceptible to getting sick, staying inside and getting extra sleep has an even stronger positive effect on your health.

How much sleep is too much?

If you’re sleeping a lot when you have a cold, flu, or fever, it’s because your body needs the rest. Sleeping more than usual is helping your body build up its immune system and fight off your illness.

If you find yourself sleeping all day when you’re sick — especially during the first few days of your illness — don’t worry. As long as you wake up to drink water and eat some nourishing food from time to time, let your body get all the rest it needs.

However, if your cold, flu, or illness doesn’t seem to get better with time, even with plenty of rest, be sure to follow up with a doctor.

Also, if your illness gets better, but you’re still exhausted or lethargic, it’s a good idea to see a doctor to determine the cause.

Tips for getting quality sleep when you’re sick

Even though being sick can make you tired, it can be hard to get quality sleep when you don’t feel well or have a stuffy nose or persistent cough. In many cases, symptoms tend to get worse later in the day, which can make sleep even more difficult.

If you’re having a hard time sleeping, try some of these tips:

Sleep tips for when you’re sick

Sleep with your head propped up. This helps your nasal passages drain and reduces pressure in your head. Just don’t prop up your head so high that it makes your neck hurt.
Avoid cold medications, including most decongestants, that may keep you awake in the hours before bed. Instead, use a cold medication made specifically for nighttime.
Take a hot shower or bath before you go to bed. This can help you relax and also break up mucus so you can breathe more easily.
Use a humidifier in your bedroom to help prevent stuffy, congested airways.
Try drinking a cup of chamomile tea to help you relax and feel sleepy. Add lemon or honey to soothe your throat. Just be sure to finish drinking your tea at least an hour before bedtime so you don’t wake up to go to the bathroom.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, respond quickly to whatever woke you up. Blow your nose, drink water, or do whatever else you need to do so you can go back to sleep more easily.
Be sure your room is set up for optimal sleep. It should be cool, dark, and quiet.
If you can’t get enough sleep at night, try napping. Keeping your nap to 30 minutes at a time may help you sleep more easily at night.

The takeaway

Sleeping when you’re sick is essential for your recovery. Sleep helps to boost your immune system, so you can fight off your illness more effectively.

Your body knows what it needs, so don’t worry if you find yourself sleeping a lot when you’re sick, especially in the first few days.

If you find that you’re still exhausted and sleeping a lot more than usual after you’ve recovered from your illness, be sure to follow up with a doctor to find out what could be causing your sleepiness.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Dimitrov S. (2019). Gαs-coupled receptor signaling and sleep regulate integrin activation of human antigen-specific T cells. https://rupress.org/jem/article/216/3/517/120367/G-s-coupled-receptor-signaling-and-sleep-regulate
Fever in adults. (2024). https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/fever-in-adults/
How sleep affects your immune system. (2023). https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-sleep-affects-immunity
Irwin MR. (2015). Why sleep is important for health: A psychoneuroimmunology perspective. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4961463/
Manoylov MK. (2020). What are cytokines? https://www.livescience.com/what-are-cytokines.html
McAlpine CS, et al. (2022). Sleep exerts lasting effects on hematopoietic stem cell function and diversity. https://rupress.org/jem/article/219/11/e20220081/213487/Sleep-exerts-lasting-effects-on-hematopoietic-stem
One day of sleep deprivation can alter your immune system and increase inflammation. (2025). https://news.aai.org/2025/02/24/one-day-sleep-deprivation-can-alter-immune-system/
Prather AA, et al. (2015). Behaviorally assessed sleep and susceptibility to the common cold. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/38/9/1353/2417971?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Sleep and the immune system. (2020).https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod2/05.html

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Medically reviewed by Avi Varma, MD, MPH, AAHIVS, FAAFP — Written by Erica Hersh — Updated on July 1, 2025

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Why do you feel sleepy when you’re sick?

What are the benefits of sleep when you’re sick?

How much sleep is too much?

Tips for getting quality sleep when you’re sick

Sleep tips for when you’re sick

The takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

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