Medical Today

The quantity and quality of sleep is important for normal immune function; inadequate sleep increases the risk of colds and flu.

Researchers from Carnegie Melon University found that healthy adult men and women who slept less than 7 hours per night increased the risk of catching a cold by nearly 300 percent. Poor sleep efficiency (percentage of time in bed actually sleeping) increases the risk by 550 percent. Sleep habits were assessed in 153 healthy adult men and women for two weeks. They were then quarantined and given nasal drops containing a cold virus. People who slept longer and more efficiently were more resistant to colds.

The immune system is the ultimate limiting factor in athletics. A cold or flu will stop progress in a training program as fast as a muscle or joint injury. More muscular men have an increased risk of sleep disturbances because they have larger neck muscles than normal, which makes them more susceptible to airway obstruction during sleep. See your doctor if you have trouble sleeping or feel overly fatigued during the day.