The temperature in South Florida may be lower than usual, but just because it's cold doesn't mean that you're getting a cold.
Time and time again, we've been told to bundle up when the temp gets low in order to stay healthy. It's a common misconception. In actuality, the common cold has nothing to do with the weather.
"Being cold is not, by itself, going to make you get a cold," Dr. Deborah Ann Mulligan, MD FAAP FACEP, of Nova Southeastern University tells WIOD. "Colds and flues are caused by viruses.
The common cold is actually caused by by the rhinovirus. Ironically, these innate immune pathways that block viral growth are more active in warmer body temperature (but so is the enzyme that degrades the viral genome).
"These viruses do circulate during cold weather seasons, but you're more likely to pick them up inside rather than outside," Dr. Mulligan adds.
So, while cocooning yourself in a cozy blanket might help ward off a cold (there is some research that suggests that prolonged exposure to cold weather temperatures can condone a cold), it's more beneficial to wash your hands so you don’t transmit the germs to your eyes, nose, or mouth in the first place.
To stay healthy this winter season, Dr. Mulligan also suggests:
- Keeping your distance from other individuals who are sick and/or infected
- Disinfecting surfaces exposed to germs (or surfaces touched by lots of people)
- Coughing or sneezing into the crook of your elbow
- Maintain good hygiene (hand hygiene in particular!)
- Get good rest
- Eat a balanced diet
It's always good to bundle up, but there's no need to freak out if you forget your jacket at home.
Call MythBusters -- this one is something of an old wives tale!