Sleepy and Sneezy Are Close Companions

Getting more sleep may help prevent colds, a new study suggests. More than 150 adults were asked about their sleep habits. Then researchers sprayed cold viruses up their noses. They stayed in a hotel for five days. In that time, 135 became infected with the virus. But only 54 got sick. People who slept less than seven hours a night were three times as likely to get sick as those who slept eight hours a night. Sleep quality also mattered. People who tossed and turned at least 8% of the time they were in bed got 5 times as many colds as people who slept better. The Associated Press wrote about the study January 13. It appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.