New Dutch study suggests both sleep deprivation and physical stress similarly activate negative immune system responses.

According to the paper published in Sleep, sleep deprivation increases the count of white blood cells called granulocytes, irritating their normal rhythm the same as what happens during stress.

The researchers compared the white blood cell counts of 15 healthy young men under normal and severely sleep-deprived conditions.

The team found an increase in the white blood cell count of men who had been kept continuously awake for about 29 hours.

Sleep deprivation is also known to be associated with an increase in the risk of becoming obese, and developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and breast cancer.(Press TV)