Study: Can More Sleep Help Fight Off Colds?

Are you getting enough sleep? If not, it could be hurting your health. A new study suggests that people who lose just a bit of sleep, or those who have poor quality sleep, are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a cold virus than those who get more shut-eye.
“People who slept less than seven hours were about three times more likely to get a cold than people who slept eight hours or more a night,” Sheldon Cohen, PhD, of Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, said in a podcast. The study was published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Cohen and his colleagues interviewed 153 men and women ages 21 to 55 every day for two weeks; they asked how long they slept, how much they tossed and turned before dropping off, and whether they felt rested in the morning, in addition to other factors.
After that, the study subjects were quarantined for six days and given cold-virus-containing nose drops at a dose about 125 times the amount that it takes to infect cells in a laboratory.
The researchers measured everything from symptoms to the weight of nasal secretions (discarded tissues were weighed in a plastic bag, and the weight of the tissue and bag subtracted) to determine who became infected.
They found that 88% of people became infected with the virus (as measured by cold virus in their nose or antibodies in their blood), but not all of those people actually got sick. About 43% of the volunteers had signs of infection plus cold symptoms, such as a stuffy nose, cough, and sore throat.
“People whose sleep was disturbed were much more likely to develop colds than people who went to sleep, slept all night, and got up in the mornings,” said Cohen.
Study subjects who had less than seven hours of sleep were at greater risk than those who got eight hours of sleep a night. And those with lower sleep efficiency—the amount of time they spent in bed asleep—were at higher risk too. People with a sleep efficiency of less than 92% had a 5.5-times greater risk of developing a cold than those with a 98% or more sleep efficiency.
“If an eight-hour sleeper lost as little as 10 minutes of sleep a night, they could be three and a half times more likely to get colds; if they lost as much as 40 minutes of sleep on an average night, they were over five times as likely to get a cold,” said Cohen.

Is It a Cold or Sinus Infection? How to Tell the Difference

At least once a year, Anna Lord, a 32-year-old from Seattle, has "almost unbearable pain" behind her eyes, cheeks, and forehead. Sometimes she has sinus drainage, and occasionally the discomfort arrives with a low-grade fever. Her symptoms often occur after she has had a cold or allergy symptoms. She rarely takes antibiotics, preferring to rest and soldier through her sickness.Lord is prone to acute bacterial sinusitis, a form of sinus infection. Each year, about 31 million people experience sinus infections, which are usually caused by bacteria growing in the sinuses, the bony cavities found behind the nose, eyes, brows, and cheekbones. Typically, a cold or allergy attack causes mucous membranes in the sinuses to swell and block the tiny openings into the sinuses, which interferes with their ability to drain. The trapped mucus allows bacteria to breed, causing pain and pressure in the head and face.All told, sinus infections cause 73 million days of "restricted activity" in the United States each year, according to a 1997 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with colds, which are caused by viruses, often mistakenly believe they have a sinus infection. While antibiotics can be helpful for those with sinus infections, they are useless when it comes to fighting cold viruses."The distinction can be difficult and no one rule applies to everybody," says Neil Bhattacharyya, MD, an associate professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School, in Boston. "Only about 2% to 6% of common colds progress to become a true bacterial sinus infection that could benefit from antibiotics."Sinus infection or cold?While the symptoms may be similar, there are some differences between the two conditions that can help you determine which one you have.The main difference between the symptoms of a cold and sinus infection is how long they linger. Dr. Bhattacharyya says cold sufferers typically have a runny nose for two to three days, followed by a stuffy nose for two to three days. After that, most people begin to feel better. A sinus infection will hang around for seven days or more.A fever may also signal a bacterial infection. As Lord can attest, sinus infections are sometimes accompanied by a low-grade fever, while colds typically are not. Other viruses (such as the flu) do cause fevers, however.Another potentially helpful sign is the color of your nasal discharge. Unlike colds, which generally produce clear mucus, bacterial infections can produce greenish or yellow mucus. However, viruses sometimes produce colorful discharge as well, so this isn’t considered a fail-safe test.Dr. Bhattacharyya says there is no rhyme or reason as to why some people tend to develop sinus infections and others don’t. But some people have nasal polyps or other problems, including allergies, which can increase their risk of chronic sinus infections.

How to Get Really Gorgeous Skin

You can fix age spots, stretch marks, varicose veins, and other unsightly spots. Here’s how.
Smooth tough areas“Moisturizers with high concentrations of urea are great for rough elbows, knees, and feet. Urea works to pull moisture into the skin while also breaking down dry, scaly spots.” —Amy Wechsler, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
Try: Bioelements Calmitude Sensitive Skin Moisturizer ($35).
Hydrate from within“One of the reasons young skin looks so smooth is because its cells are strong and retain water well, preventing dehydration. To improve the health of your skin, try taking glucosamine supplements—they boost the production of water-binding hyaluronic acid in the skin—and omega-3 fatty acid supplements.” —Howard Murad, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles

Gorgeous in the Bath: Top Spa Tricks for Your Tub

Relaxing in a tub full of warm, sweet-smelling goodness seems like the ultimate indulgence. But these baths, from top spas across the country, are anything but frivolous—they nourish winter-worn skin, ease achy muscles, even inspire creativity.
Most soaks suit all skin types and can be made with a few simple ingredients from your pantry or local market. (Experts recommend using a cooking thermometer when testing the water temperature of these baths. Expectant moms: Talk to your doc before indulging.) So gather some rose petals, rosemary sprigs, and oranges—and get ready to create an ahh-inspiring soak.

Back in Black: Your Favorite Foods, Only Healthier

When it comes to plant-based foods, deep, vibrant colors are one of the best indicators of what’s healthiest. The pigments that give plants their color also provide the antioxidants that protect against heart disease, inflammation, and certain cancers. A simple swap can provide a big nutritional payoff, like choosing pink grapefruit over white, or dark greens over pale lettuce. So it may come as little surprise that black foods can pack a potent health benefit too. That’s exactly the case with the midnight-hued rice, beans, tea, and berries I can’t seem to get enough of lately. Here’s why:
Black riceThis grain—along with the red and purple varieties—is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, and has long been consumed throughout Asia. Black rice is a 100% whole grain food just like brown rice, but it is thought to have a higher anthocyanin content due to its deeper color. A study in China found that when people’s diets were supplemented with black-rice pigments, their risk factors for cardiovascular disease decreased–including levels of C-reactive protein in their blood, an indicator of inflammation.
Black beansThese high-fiber antioxidant powerhouses pack more disease-fighting power than lighter-colored beans. New research shows that the black skins contained 24 plant compounds including 12 terpenoids and 7 flavonoids. The researchers also found that these compounds halted the growth of colon, liver, and breast cancer cells.
Black tea It comes from the same plant as green and oolong tea, but the dark stuff has a slew of good qualities all to its own. Numerous studies have shown that drinking several cups of flavonoid-rich black tea a day may provide heart-health benefits, offer protection against neurological decline as we age, and provide anticancer properties. Plus it’s got the added benefit of being calorie-free (as long as you don’t drink it with milk and sugar), and its caffeine may help improve your workout.
Blackberries These tangy treats are rich in polyphenols that have been shown to have antioxidant activity. University of Kentucky researchers isolated blackberry extract in lab studies, and found that its chemicals stopped the growth of colon-cancer cells. They may also help prevent diseases related to chronic inflammation. Don’t like them on their own? Pair them with blueberries and ginger syrup in this light and fruity dessert.
Black mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and many other specialty black crops are, well, cropping up these days. Let us know if you’ve seen any at your local farmers market and whether you’ve tried them.

Laid Off? The 8 Healthiest Ways to Spend Your Time

Log on to improve your memory
Given that you no longer have to worry about your supervisor catching you slacking on the job, start scouring Facebook. You'll be able to do a little networking—and you'll be helping your health. A 2006 study found that staying in touch with family members and old friends can ward off memory loss. And research shows that people with extended social networks tend to live longer. Use your newfound time to expand your contacts and up your number of online friends. It turns out that time logged on social-networking sites (as long as it’s not too much time) is actually good for you—and it may even help you land your next job.

Change Plates, Lose Weight

It’s mid-January, which means about a third of all the resolutions Americans made two weeks ago are already broken. I tend to make a resolution but neglect to plan the steps to help me keep it. (Or if I do plan steps, I often don’t take the time to troubleshoot the kinks.) So this year, I’m keeping it simple: I’m changing dinner plates.
If you pull out your grandmom’s china, her dinner plate is probably the size of your salad plate: Today’s average dinner plate is one-third larger than its 1960 counterpart. Our large, fashionable—well, platters—encourage us to load up on a third more food, and we eat 92% of what we serve ourselves, according to research by Brian Wansink, the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, and the author of Mindless Eating. Bigger plates lead to bigger hips.
Obviously, portion control is in order, and I like Wansink’s approach. Just get smaller plates! You can save the measuring cups and scales for actual cooking, and skip the partitioned dieter’s plates that remind you of being in a school lunch room. This month, Wansink launched the Small Plate Movement Challenge: Eat one meal from a smaller plate every day for at least a month. By switching from a 12-inch plate to a 10-inch plate, you’ll cut calories by 22%. So, according to the Small Plate Movement, if your normal dinner on a 12-inch plate is around 800 calories, switch to a 10-inch plate and you’ll lose 18 pounds in a year.
One thing the Small Plate Movement doesn’t address is what to load your plate with. It’s a safe bet that a 10-inch plate full of fettuccine Alfredo isn’t what the dietitian ordered. Many dietitians, however, do teach the “plate method” of portion control: Fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with meat or another protein, and the last quarter with starchy foods like pasta.
Easy, makes sense, effective—I’m in! If you decide your diet strategy lies in new dinnerware, don’t be tempted to pull out miniscule salad or dessert plates—Wansink’s research shows that if you switch to plates that are too small, you’ll know that you’re skimping yourself, and you’ll be tempted to pile big helpings on your plate or go back for seconds and thirds. Folks at the Small Plate Movement suggest a 10-inch plate. My usual dinner plates are 10.5 inches, so I’m switching to a 9-inch plate, which I think will be big enough to keep me from feeling deprived. Another tip: No square meals. A 10-inch square plate has about 21 square inches more surface area than a 10-inch round plate. If none of the plates in your kitchen measure up, I’ve scouted out a few suggestions in this slideshow.
How are your resolutions going? Are you switching plates? Changing what and how (or maybe even when and where) you eat? Taking on a different challenge to help you live healthier? I’d love to hear your about your weight and diet resolutions, whatever they may be, and your strategies to keep them.