A new study has revealed that if one person gets less than seven hours of sleep a night, it's three times more susceptible to catch a cold. Furthermore, if one sleeps poorly, he's five times more likely to one as well. This is the first research to link the lack of sleep to the body's resistance to the common cold virus.

Other studies have also shown that sleep deprivation impairs some immune functions. In addition, it has been found that people who sleep seven to eight hours a night have the lowest rates of heart disease and death. This new study has been published in the January 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine and the team who made it gathered data from 153 men and women from 2000 to 2004.

The researchers asked the participants how many hours they slept the night before and whether they felt rested. They also asked how much time the participants spent in bed, sleeping. The participants received nose drops containing a virus for the common cold. Five days later, they reported signs and symptoms of a cold.

The researchers also collected mucus samples to test for the virus. After 28 days, they tested the participants' blood samples for antibodies to the virus. They concluded that those who slept less than seven hours a night were 2.94 times more likely to develop a cold. This proves that it's very important to sleep at least seven hours a night in order to keep your immune system strong.

Therefore, getting a good night sleep must be among the most important priorities of health-conscious people, as time invested in sleep will almost certainly be paid back in dividends of better health.