here’s something to be said for the old advice to get more
rest as a way to fight off a cold. Studies have confirmed the connection
between the lack of sleep and susceptibility to cold viruses. A
good night’s sleep seems to play a helpful role in maintaining
the body’s defenses.
In a recent study reported in “The Archives of Internal Medicine,”
researchers quarantined 153 men and women for two weeks, monitoring
the amount and quality of their subjects’ sleep.
Then, during a five-day period, the subjects were exposed to cold
viruses. Those who slept an average of fewer than seven hours a
night were three times as likely to get sick as those who averaged
at least eight hours of sleep.
This connection has been made in the animal world as well. Researchers
at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have reported
that mammals requiring the most sleep also produce higher levels
of disease-fighting white blood cells.
© 2009 Work & Family Life
here’s something to be said for the old advice to get more
rest as a way to fight off a cold. Studies have confirmed the connection
between the lack of sleep and susceptibility to cold viruses. A
good night’s sleep seems to play a helpful role in maintaining
the body’s defenses.