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September 23, 2009

Adequate Sleep Linked to Immunity

Want to prevent the common cold this winter? Stocking up on Vitamin C and echinacea may help, but you might want to sleep on the idea. Poor quality sleep and a person's susceptibility to colds may be linked.

In a recent study for The Archives of Internal Medicine, scientists followed 153 men and women for two weeks, keeping track of their quality and duration of sleep.

The they exposed subjects to rhinovirus (the bug responsible for the common cold).

Those who slept an average of fewer than seven hours a night, it turned out, were three times as likely to get sick as those who averaged at least eight hours.

I'm highly protective of my sleep. Lack of quality sleep affects my mood, concentration, and general quality of life. I try to get to bed by 10 and wake around 6:30. As I get older, I find it harder to sleep through the night. This long stretch of rest time usually covers most of my night time disturbances (noise, too hot, too cold, a full bladder, Il Duce the cat, etc.). Now I have another reason to guard my precious sleep.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at September 23, 2009 5:22 PM