Sleep shortage increases susceptibility to catching a cold, study finds

KEY

Question 1

            a)  False. Those who slept six hours a night or less were four times more likely to catch a cold when they were exposed to the virus than people who spent more than seven hours a night asleep

               b) True. The findings, reported in the journal “Sleep”, build on previous studies

            c) False. Those who got less than six hours of sleep a night were 4.2 times more likely to fall victim to the bug than those who slept more than seven hours. Those who slept less than five hours had a 4.5 times greater risk.

The less sleep people got, the more likely they were to develop a cold.

            d) False. Prather said that when it came to defending against the cold virus, sleep was more important than any other factor they looked at, such as people’s stress levels, age, education, income, or whether they smoked.

Question 2

a)   For two months, health screening, interviews and questionnaires

Establish stress levels, temperament and usage of alcohol and tobacco

Volunteers spent a week wearing a sleep sensor that tracked their sleep every night.

b)   Taken to hotel – given nasal drops containing the virus.

Doctors monitor them, collect mucus and study it to know if and when virus takes hold.

Question 3

a)    groggy

b)    income

c)     overwhelmingly

d)    especially

e)    susceptible

Question 4

a)    They were monitored closely for a week after.

b)    If you do not get enough sleep, your physical health will be affected.

c)  He said “More studies into sleep and health are needed to drive home the message that sleep is critical for wellbeing”