Scientists say, stress, depression and loneliness can harm the body’s immune system and may also lower the effectiveness of certain vaccines, including the new Covid-19 vaccine that are in development and the early stages of global distribution.
Simple interventions, including exercise and getting a good sleep for 24 hours before the vaccination may increase the vaccine’s initial efficiency, according to a report accepted for publication in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.
Even the testing has shown that the Covid-19 vaccines approved for distribution in the US are highly effective at producing a robust immune response and not everyone will the instant benefit, the researchers noted.
They said, environmental factors, as well as an individual’s genetics and physical and mental health, can deteriorate the body’s immune system, slowing the response to a vaccine.
Annelise Madison, a researcher at The Ohio State University in the US said, “In addition to the physical toll of Covid-19, the pandemic has an equally troubling mental health component, causing anxiety and depression, among many other related problems.”
“Emotional stressors like these can affect a person’s immune system, impairing their ability to ward off infections,” said Madison, lead author on the paper.
The vaccine efficacy and how health behaviors and emotional stressors can modify the body’s ability to develop an immune response is what the report explains.
Therefore the vaccines work by challenging the immune system and within hours of vaccination, there is an inborn, general immune response on the cellular level as the body begins to recognise a potential biological threat.
Eventually the production of antibodies which targets the specific pathogens helps this frontline response by the immune system.
However, how effective a vaccine is at conferring long-term protection is being done by the production of antibodies.
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University, and senior author on the paper said, “In our research, we focus most heavily on the antibody response, though it is just one facet of the adaptive immune system’s response.”
According to the researchers, most Covid-19 vaccines already in circulation are approximately 95 per cent effective.
However, psychological and behavioural factors can extend the amount of time it takes to develop immunity, and can shorten the duration of immunity, they said.
“The thing that excites me is that some of these factors are modifiable. It’s possible to do some simple things to maximise the vaccine’s initial effectiveness,” said Kiecolt-Glaser.
This may help ensure that the best and strongest immune response happens as quickly as possible, they said.
“Prior research suggests that psychological and behavioural interventions can improve vaccine responsiveness. Even shorter-term interventions can be effective,” said Madison.
Prior research, the researchers suggest that one strategy is to engage in vigorous exercise and get a good night’s sleep in the 24 hours before vaccination so that the immune system is operating at peak performance.