Do this one thing to stop a cold dead in its tracks

Do this one thing to stop a cold dead in its tracksDo this one thing to stop a cold dead in its tracksEveryone has a magical trick for avoiding those super annoying seasonal colds, from downing a ton of vitamin C to popping particular over-the-counter meds to eating a specific superfood.But science definitivelysays there is one thing that will help your body stave off illness better than anything else, and that one thing is sleep.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSleep is the only time during which your body can fully rest and rebuild at the cellular level, which is entirely necessary when avirus is launching anattack on your immune ordnungsprinzip. You can pump your system with as many meds as possible, but if you dont prioritize logging a solid nights rest at the same time, your body isnt going to be able to do much with that pharmaceutical reinforcement.According to a 2015study , people who sleep six hours or fewer each night are four times more likely to catch a cold than people who reach seven hours each night. Andanother study dating back to 2009found that people who dont sleep enough or have a poor quality of sleep are more likely to get sick upon exposure to a cold virus.Researchers have also found that people who sleep less tend to havehigher levels of inflammationin their bodies, which is a precursor for countless illnesses out there beyond the common cold. Its a sign that the body is struggling to cope and heal, and that makes sense because both of those processes occur - you guessed it - while youre sleeping.So the next time you think theres the slightest possibility that you could have caught a bug and that yourebeginning to develop a fever, dont try to be a hero. Call a spade a spade, ditch the medicine cabinet and just climb into bed already. We know you dont want to be the reason why your coworkers dont get to enjoy theirs, either.This articl e first appeared on Swirled.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people