Link found between lack of sleep and susceptibility to colds

Getting a good night's sleep of at least seven to eight mostly unbroken hours can protect against the common cold, scientists have found.It's a common assumption that sleep is good for health. Sleeping badly and being tired is thought to undermine our immunity to viruses. But there has been little real evidence to make a link between poor sleep and susceptibility to the common cold until now.In today's edition of the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers report that they deliberately infected 153 healthy men and women, average age 37, with cold viruses to find out the relationship between sleeping habits and susceptibility to colds.The scientists found that those who slept for less than seven to eight hours a night were about three times more likely to get a cold than longer sleepers. Those who slept less well – spending less than 92% of their time in bed actually...

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