A Myth: “Don’t go outside when it’s cold or wet, as you may get sick”

           

 Many young children including myself have grown up hearing from their family, “don’t go outside in the cold or when it’s raining”. Many people, typically older ones have a misconception that going out in the cold, can cause you to catch a cold. They also believe that wetness or rain can contribute to getting a cold. An example is during the winter, when someone tells you to dress warm or you’ll get sick, this is untrue. The common cold as we know it, is currently incurable and hampers many people’s daily duties.

            The actual reason why people get sick more often during rainy or cold weather conditions is because they tend to stay indoors more and hence around and closer to others. The weather conditions are not what get us sick, it’s our reactions to the weather.  During unpleasant weather conditions, people tend to stay closer to each other, but if they were outside their germs would not have as good as a chance to transfer from one individual to another. When you’re at home during rainy weather or during the cold winter, everyone in the building you’re in share and breathe the same air. The longer people are together in an enclosed area, the higher the chance of germs spreading. At the Common cold research unit in Salisbury, England volunteers were placed in an outdoor pool in the middle of winter and none of they became sick. This is proof that being out in the cold and/or wet will get you sick.

            Not only can going out in the rain or cold not cause you to fall ill, it can also benefit you in multiple ways. Vitamin D, which the sun produces has no way to get to you if you’re indoors, even during cloudy and unpleasant weather, vitamin D is still being emitted to Earth’s lithosphere. Also, during these types of weather, breathing improves for many which only increases the benefits of going out during these types of weather.

            The Canadian Flu seasons occur during the cold weather, but once again it is because we tend to stay indoors and have more contact with others. In parts of the world where winter does not occur, their flu season occurs during their wet season which is also due to the same reason our flu season occurs. Germs are what causes humans to get sick, not weather conditions so remember that. In reality, if everyone decided to continue their summer routine of staying outdoors, year-round, we wouldn’t have a flu season. In the summer students are at home, on trips and not in close contact with others nearly as much as in the winter when they are all at school and indoors. You can contract a cold by breathing in air with a virus or having physical contact with a contaminated object or person.

            I, like many used to believe that not dressing with layers of clothing or appropriately for cold/wet weather would get you sick, but I learned that is not true so here I am passing this useful information along to you. If you take a survey for the question, “how often do you get sick” and survey people who clean and disinfect their house frequently and people who stay outdoors more during cold and wet weather, the results will show that people who stay outdoors more during these weather types, are less prone to becoming sick. So spread the word that it is beneficial to be outdoors during cold or rainy weather and next time you can try it for yourself to see that this article is true.

Sources Used

Want to avoid catching a cold? Then don't stay indoors
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073465/Dont-want-catch-cold-Better-stay-indoors-then.html

Does Cold Weather Cause the Cold or Flu?

http://coldflu.about.com/od/cold/f/coldandweather.htm

The Common Cold

http://coldflu.about.com/od/cold/p/coldprofile.htm