I think we can all agree that Saturday afternoon wasn’t ideal weather for the Penn State vs. Kent State football game, but that didn’t stop thousands of fans from supporting the Nittany Lions out in the pouring rain. I left the game early and on my way home I heard countless people saying how they were definitely going to get sick from being outside in the cold rain. Immediately that got me worried… But then I stopped and thought about it. My mom always warned me, but is it actually possible to get sick from cold weather?
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine was one of the first to put this question to the test in 1968. In the experiment, “Subjects were exposed to germs of the common cold under various conditions. Those who were exposed to cold water or chilly air were not more likely to get sick than those who were kept in room temperature conditions.” Simply put, the cold weather itself does not make you sick: only viruses can cause the flu and other common colds. So then why is it typically during the winter (when it’s coldest) that “flu season” strikes?
When it is cold, people tend to spend more time indoors where they are in closer contact with each other, making it easier for germs to spread. Additionally, scientists have found that when it is cold outside, the air is drier, which allows viruses to spread more easily. Many people turn on their heaters during the cold winter months, making the air in their homes drier as well. These conditions are the reason that “flu season” takes place when it gets cold, which in our case is during the winter.
I’m shocked every single time I learn the truth behind something I’ve been told my entire life, and this is no exception. Lesson learned: just because your mom tells you that you can get sick from being in the cold doesn’t mean it’s actually true (even if half of the Penn State football spectators think so too).
The bottom line: if you’re one of the many people decided to leave the game early and have everybody over at your place to watch the game on your flat screen, you might be more likely to get a cold than you would’ve been had you stayed outside at the game. Oh and contrary to popular belief, there’s no cure for the common cold, so if you did get sick from this weekend you’ll just have to suck it up like the rest of us.
This actually happened, by the way:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cold-flu/wet-head-cold.htm
I was scrolling down my page coughing as I crossed this post actually. I had also believed that it was due to walking to the game in a torrential downpour when I didn’t have a raincoat or umbrella (dumb idea I know). I’m pretty sure everyones’ moms told us that when we were kids. Here’s another article on a topic somewhat related to yours. My mom used to tell me all the time that if i went to school with my hair wet then I would get catch a cold.
All of my friends were saying the same thing after the game! I started to get nervous since I had been battling a cold even before the game on Saturday. This seems like a great example for when a third variable is present. It is easy to just assume that cold weather causes the flu, but there really seem to be other variables that come into play!
Another thing you could look into is the effect of the change in seasons on the common cold or allergies. I always find that I get sick at the beginning of Fall or Spring when the weather changes. However, I never know if it is a cold or allergies. Check out this link to read more about it!
http://www.vicks.com/care-center/treat-relieve/articles/cold-flu-allergy-symptoms/
Is that really true? Hmmm I guess looking at the research that it could be true. But honestly speaking I haven’t gotten a cold from being in a warmer temperature, but rather every time I got a cold was from under dressing for the weather for long periods of time, and in colder temperatures. But if this research is true then as you said I have been living my life on a lie…. ahahah just kidding its not that dramatic. But I don’t think knowing this information will change anything.
http://t.qkme.me/3rwujo.jpg
how I feel right now