An Arizona sleep specialist is helping spread the word about the healing powers of sleep, reports the Arizona Daily Star.

Getting enough sleep can be an effective treatment for arthritis and other ailments, says Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, who is the director of sleep disorders at the UA Medical Center’s university campus and associate director of sleep and circadian sciences at the Arizona Respiratory Center.

“Sleep is extremely important for the immune system to function,” Parthasarathy said in an interview last week.