Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold

The likelihood of developing symptomatic disease after experimental rhinovirus infection was more than four times higher for participants who slept ≤6 hours than for those who slept ≥7 hours.

Previous research has suggested that short sleep duration and poor sleep continuity are associated with various chronic illnesses, increased susceptibility to infection, and premature death. Furthermore, experimental sleep deprivation has been found to negatively influence T-cell function. However, such studies have relied on subjective measures of sleep.

Now, in a study involving 164 healthy volunteers (58% men; mean age, 30), researchers in the U.S. have examined whether sleep duration — measured objectively — might predict susceptibility to the common cold. Participants had sleep duration and quality recorded with a special wristwatch for 7 consecutive days and then received nasal drops containing an infectious dose of rhinovirus 39. For …

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold

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Reviewing Author