A recently published controlled study found that in two groups who were deliberately exposed to the cold virus then forced to sleep less than 6 hours a night or more than 8 hours, the group that slept less than 6 hours caught colds at a 4.5X greater rate, which was independent of previous immune system strength, age, socio-economic, and every other variable they tracked.
The experimental design seems to be pretty solid, and once these findings are replicated, this is pretty strong evidence that "we're not getting enough sleep."
The experimental design seems to be pretty solid, and once these findings are replicated, this is pretty strong evidence that "we're not getting enough sleep."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/short-sleepers-may-...