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Viruses Are Early Risers And Much ‘More Dangerous In The Morning’

Early risers: The study was completed by a team from Cambridge University (Getty)

This is yet another reason to hate mornings.

A study has found that viruses are 10 times more successful if the infection starts in the morning

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that infections have more chance of taking hold if they strike early in the day.

The study also found that any altering of the body clock by factors such as shift work or jet lag can make the body more susceptible to infection.

The results of the study were published in PNAS and the Cambridge team hope that the findings could lead to new ways of stopping pandemics.

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The findings were reached after tests on mice.

The rodents were infected with the flu virus or herpes, which can cause a number of diseases.

Researchers discovered that the lab mice who were infected in the morning had 10 times the viral levels than those animals infected in the evening.

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Results may help combat future diseases (Rex)

“It’s a big difference,” Professor Akhilesh Reddy, one of the researchers, told BBC News.

“The virus needs all the apparatus available at the right time, otherwise it might not ever get off the ground, but a tiny infection in the morning might perpetuate faster and take over the body.”

Reddy added that he believed the study could help control outbreaks of disease.

“In a pandemic, staying in during the daytime could be quite important and save people’s lives, it could have a big impact if trials bear it out,” he said.