Lack of sleep 'raises cold risk'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7823599.stm

by ars • 18 years ago

18 12 18 years ago

news.bbc.co.uk

tsally• 18 years ago

I wish I hadn't read this article at 2:30AM.

sutro• 18 years ago

I'm so tired lately I've gone beyond "cold risk" and have crossed into "sanity risk."

markbao2• 18 years ago

Wait, people get more than 7 hours of sleep?

Typing this at 5:22 am after pulling an all nighter

kirubakaran2• 18 years ago

Chronic sleep deprivation will ruin your health and your mental capacity. It is not something to be proud of. Numerous studies have proved this. Please consider changing.

noro• 18 years ago

After months/years of not getting nearly enough sleep, how long until you get back to your "normal" mental capacity? (That is, if you go back to getting a reasonable amount of sleep.)

markbao2• 18 years ago

Well, to be fair, I was writing an essay.

albertcardona• 18 years ago

Summary:

"Sleeping for under seven hours a night greatly raises the risk of catching a cold"

Considering the very high degree of genetic variability in humans, and the effects of food, sunlight, sport and in general life style, I suspect a much larger study would reveal a very large standard deviation around the claimed 7 hours.

eli• 18 years ago

At the risk of sounding like a jerk... Duh.

jcl• 18 years ago

Yes, "duh", but:

Previous research has suggested that people who sleep seven to eight hours a night have the lowest rates of heart disease. However, there has been little direct evidence that getting a good night's sleep can help ward off a cold.

It's "obvious" that not getting enough sleep is bad for you, but without research like this, we don't know in what ways or to what degree. Otherwise, sleeping to prevent a cold is as "obviously" good for you as hanging garlic around your neck or taking large doses of vitamin C.

Lack of sleep 'raises cold risk'

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