Can the cold weather give you a cold?

What is a cold?

It’s an everyday term, but what exactly is it?

A common cold is a contagious, viral respiratory illness. Symptoms are often mild, consisting of a runny nose, sore throat, clogged sinuses or sneezing.  A cold will often subside within two weeks. Over the counter medication is available, but generally not necessary. Typically, a cold will not result in a serious health problem. If the symptoms do become severe, that usually indicates other complications are involved beyond the scope of a common cold. 

There are over 200 viruses that can cause a cold, or cold like symptoms. The most common virus involved is rhinovirus (RV). RV and other “cold causing viruses” (now that’s a fun tongue twister to use at your next holiday party) can transmit via airborne droplets, touching a contaminated surface, or skin to skin contact with someone carrying the virus. 

How can you protect yourself from these viruses?

• • Frequent hang washing
    

    By: Crappy Photocerous

  • Protect your living space- disinfect frequently touched surface
  • Avoid mingling with people who are sick (You may love your friends and family, but you won’t love their germs)
  • Incorporate vitamins into your diet, Zinc and Vitamin C are just two examples of beneficial supplements 

The best protection you can have against any virus is a healthy and operational immune system. Engaging in a healthy lifestyle will aid in your overall wellness.

So the cold can’t necessarily make you sick… but what about winter weather and wet hair?

It’s commonly thought that a mixture of wet hair and cold weather will guarantee a cold. However, there has been no proven correlation between the two. But do note that leaving the house with a water soaked head isn’t recommended for overall health, comfort and wellbeing. 

What does the cold weather do?

Although studies have found that there isn’t a direct relationship between the cold weather and a cold, there are elements about the cold that can make you more susceptible to viral infections. For example:

During the winter season people are more likely to be indoors and surrounded by other people. In this close proximity there is a higher likelihood of obtaining the virus from someone else. Due to the mildness of the viral strain, a person could be an unknowing carrier and infect an entire household.

There are also typical lifestyle shifts that can come with cold weather. People are less likely to  spend time outside, which diminishes their amount of natural exercise, fresh air intake and exposure to Vitamin D. 

Although these aren’t clinically measured relational values between the cold and a cold, they show how the cold may play a part in an immune systems vulnerability. 

It’s so true that it’s worth saying twice: the best defense against a cold is to build a healthy immune system that can sustain contact with the virus and remain strong. 

References

Common Cold. Centers for disease control and prevention. Retrieved November 11, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/dotw/common-cold/

Common Cold. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved November 12, 2021 from  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/symptoms-causes/syc-20351605

Demystifying Medicine. [Youtube]. (2017, November, 21). Does the Cold Weather Really Cause the Common Cold? [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjaZe3FR3ys&t=11s

Eccles R. (2005). Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 5(11), 718–725. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(05)70270-X

Medical Centric. [Youtube]. (2019, February 25). Common Cold, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzAe-J9tJXw

Simancas-Racines, D., Franco, J. V., Guerra, C. V., Felix, M. L., Hidalgo, R., & Martinez-Zapata, M. J. (2017). Vaccines for the common cold. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 5(5), CD002190. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002190.pub5

Singh, M., & Das, R. R. (2015). Zinc for the common cold. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2015(4), CD001364. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001364.pub5

WUSA9. [Youtube]. (2021, November 8). Will Going Outside With Wet Hair Make you Sick? [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w30aw5OlRxQ