--- title: Why we sleep when ill — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Why we sleep when ill», a lesson of the medicine course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: When you are ill, a lot of what you feel is not the germ itself but your own body fighting it: the immune system sends out chemical messengers that --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Medicine](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/) / Why we sleep when ill # Why we sleep when ill Lesson 31 of the medicine course of Mova's primary school: 14 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/0/) — When you are ill, a lot of what you feel is not the germ itself but your own body fighting it: the immune system sends out chemical messengers that make you sleepy, achy and off your food. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/1/) — It is like a city under attack switching off the fairground lights to send all the power to the defenders: you rest, you eat less, and the energy goes to the fight. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/2/) — The shivers are part of the plan too: the brain turns up the body's thermostat, and you feel freezing until your body has heated up to the new setting, even though you are already hot to touch. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/3/) — Recovery takes a little longer than the germ: you can still be tired after it's gone, and sometimes a second infection, like an ear infection after a cold, makes you worse again just when you felt better. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/4/) — When fighting an infection the immune system releases chemical messengers, called cytokines, that make you sleepy so the body can save energy. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/5/) — Sleeping a lot when ill is not laziness; during sleep the body repairs itself and the immune system works hard. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/6/) — Children who regularly sleep well tend to catch fewer infections, though sleep doesn't cure everything. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/7/) — Appetite often drops during an infection; eating little for a day or two is fine, but drinking enough is important. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/8/) — The aches all over in flu come mostly from the immune system's chemical messengers, not from the virus attacking the muscles. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/9/) — In a fever the brain raises the body's temperature setting, so you shiver and feel cold until you reach it, then feel hot and sweaty. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/10/) — Light layers and drinks are better than piling on heavy blankets, which can make a fever higher and more uncomfortable. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/12/) — Going back to school too soon can leave you exhausted, because the body is still tired after the germ has gone, and straight after a high fever you may still pass the germ on. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/13/) — Quiet rest, like reading, drawing or sleeping, helps recovery, and screens late at night make sleep worse. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/31-why-we-sleep-when-ill/14/) — Comfort from a parent, a cuddle or sleeping nearby, helps ill children feel safe, and needing it doesn't make you a baby. - ← previous: [Germs, the immune system and hand-washing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/30-germs-the-immune-system-and-hand-washing/) - next →: [Needles and brave faces](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/32-needles-and-brave-faces/) - ↑ back to [Medicine](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/)