I feel like garbage right now. My nose is running, my throat is sore, and a general malaise has taken control of my body like it has a point to prove. Cold season is here, and I have officially fallen victim. The remedy? Who knows, really. Chicken soup, echinacea, vitamin C, rest. Wait, what was that last one? Rest. Yes, now that one, that one seems to actually work. Well, it turns out that getting adequate rest, particularly taking regular naps, can do far more than just expedite the duration of your cold. In fact, researchers from Greece have found that taking a regular "siesta" may help markedly reduce one's chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

In a six-year study of over 24,000 Greek adults, researchers from the University of Athens Medical School found that those who took regular, mid-day naps lowered their chances of heart disease by more than a third. Unlike previous studies on the benefits of napping, this study was the first to control for outside variables (i.e. smoking, diet, exercise). All subjects studied entered into the research process with a clean bill of health, thereby ruling out the chances that their development -- of lack of development -- of heart disease was or was not caused to factors outside of napping.

The researchers believe that by taking regular naps, adults are able to reduce much of their workday stress. This belief is supported by the supplementary discovery that employed men seem to benefit more from naps than do unemployed men -- suggesting a link between workplace stress and sleep-induced stress reduction.

Whatever. I feel like crap. I'm going back to bed. Let the healing begin.