Sleep plays roles in many aspects of human health, including immune function. Not getting enough sleep can drive a chronic inflammatory state, increasing a person’s risk for both acute and chronic diseases. Findings from a 2009 study demonstrate that not getting enough sleep increases a person’s risk for developing a common cold.
The average person experiences two to three colds every year, most of which are caused by rhinoviruses. Working adults in the United States tend to lose nearly nine work hours per cold due to absenteeism and on-the-job productivity losses. Adults caring for a child under the age of 13 years tend to lose at least one hour of work per cold. Together, these productivity losses equate to nearly $25 billion per year.
The study involved 153 healthy men and women between the ages of 21 and 55 years. Over a period of two weeks, participants kept sleep diaries in which they reported how long they slept each night and how rested they felt upon waking. They also reported their “sleep efficiency,” the ratio of the total time spent asleep versus the total amount of time spent in bed. The study investigators then quarantined the participants and exposed them to RV-39, a type of rhinovirus that causes colds. They monitored the participants for five days to see if they developed cold symptoms.
The investigators found that participants that had less than seven hours of sleep (on average) were three times more likely to develop a cold than those that had eight or more hours of sleep. Participants with less than 92 percent sleep efficiency were nearly six times more likely to develop a cold than those with 98 percent or higher sleep efficiency.
These findings suggest that not getting enough sleep or having poor sleep efficiency increases a person’s risk for developing illnesses the common cold. Many people experience difficult falling or staying asleep, increasing their risk for colds and other diseases. Learn how cognitive behavioral therapy benefits people with sleeping problems.
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