Recently, the influenza epidemic in China has fluctuated at a high level. The National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention said that it is expected that the COVID-19 epidemic may rise to a certain extent around the Spring Festival, and many parts of the country will continue to show the trend of alternate or common epidemics of various respiratory diseases. It should be noted that a cold combined with sleep deprivation may cause a "double blow" to the human body! The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences recently released a popular science message suggesting that chronic sleep deprivation can affect the body's immune function, leading to increased susceptibility to bacteria and viruses. In severe cases, it can lead to life-threatening infections such as viral myocarditis. According to the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, there are significant differences in sleep needs among different groups of people. Adults typically need 6 to 8 hours of sleep to achieve optimal health. When the total sleep time decreases, or when brief awakening leads to fragmented sleep, sleep cannot support individuals to maintain sufficient wakefulness, behavioral performance, and health, it is called insufficient sleep. Short term staying up late, long-term sleep restriction, or fragmented sleep can all lead to insufficient sleep, It is also divided into acute sleep deprivation and long-term chronic sleep deprivation. Acute sleep deprivation refers to the absence of sleep for two consecutive days, or a decrease in total sleep time compared to normal. The most prominent manifestation is cognitive impairment, which has a particularly significant impact on work that requires continuous focused attention. It involves complex reasoning, analysis, flexible thinking, and a large number of goals, such as programmers, doctors, etc. Even short-term sleep deprivation can affect their work performance, It may also cause mental states similar to depression or anxiety. In addition to cognitive function, acute sleep deprivation can also affect respiratory muscle endurance and have adverse effects on patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chronic sleep deprivation refers to a prolonged period of sleep that is less than the amount of sleep needed to maintain optimal functional state. In addition to cognitive impairment, chronic sleep deprivation can disrupt normal heart rate regulation, increase myocardial oxygen consumption, and in severe cases, cause strong contraction of coronary arteries, leading to myocardial ischemia and the occurrence of related cardiovascular diseases. It can also affect the body's immune function, increase susceptibility to bacteria and viruses, and in severe cases, lead to life-threatening infections such as viral myocarditis. In addition, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to excessive activation of the food stimulation pathway in the cerebral cortex, promoting appetite and potentially increasing the risk of obesity. Although sleep time has generally decreased globally in modern society, the importance of adequate sleep should still be recognized, and the various health problems or risks caused by insufficient sleep should be given full attention. How many hours did you sleep today? (Le Xin She) (Zhang Ni)