Lose Sleep, Catch a Cold

Mom was right: get a good night's sleep. Researchers have discovered a direct link between lack of sleep and vulnerability to disease, Reuters reports. Study volunteers who slept less than seven hours a night for just two weeks were three times more likely to come down with cold symptoms after being exposed to a virus.

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"This is the first evidence that even relatively minor sleep disturbances can influence the body's reaction to cold viruses," said a research scientist. It's "yet another reason why people should make time in their schedules to get a complete night of rest."
(Read more common cold stories.)