UNT researchers have found that the influenza vaccine may be less effective in otherwise healthy individuals who suffer from chronic insomnia. Of the healthy college students studied who received the flu vaccine, those who had chronic insomnia -- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep several nights a week for at least three months -- were found to have lower amounts of flu antibodies before and after immunization.

Daniel Taylor, professor of psychology and director of UNT's Insomnia Research Laboratory, and Kimberly Kelly, associate professor of psychology, conducted the study, the first to focus on influenza vaccine and chronic insomnia. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health.