"Cold weather itself makes you sick"

Question

Pretty much anyone believes that cold weather can get people sick, but this is only a myth. Colds and flu really do seem more common in the winter but the chill does not get you. Instead, low humidity and being indoors with others make it easier for germs to spread. Dry air dries out the membranes in your nose, so viruses can easily invade. In other words, again, it is germs and not temperature.

Comments

This article explores if cold weather causes colds. It takes on the common myth, yet myth busts it, arguing how cold weather is correlated to colds but doesn't cause. The article uses reliable facts and correlates them, such as how lower Vitamin D can lead to less production and thus more influenza. However, these facts are not fully trustworthy since they come from "research" and no specific reputable source to be fact checked. The article is more focused on symptoms and preventions towards sickness than the actual myth itself, so it is not well written. This article should not be deemed as reputable.

Answer 1

Cold weather does not in itself cause a sickness or cold, but it may make some people more susceptible to catching a cold. However, most of the time, colds and illnesses go up during the colder times because you spend more time inside with other people that may consequently have colds. Mayo Clinic Minute piece on this subject.

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/1-16mayo-clinic-minute-can-cold-weather-cause-a-cold/

Answer 2

It is an old wife's tale that going outside in the cold will cause you to catch a cold. While people do tend to get sick more during the winter this is primarily due to 2 factors: more time actually spent indoors in closer proximity to people without proper ventilation and the lower humidity in the air causing nasal membranes to dry out, allowing more viral and bacterial invaders in.

Source: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/12/17/can-the-cold-really-make-you-sick

Answer 3

Many people believe that cold weather itself makes you sick, however, this is incorrect. The cold weather doesn't directly affect illness, but it can increase your risk at getting sick. Cold weather can cause weakened immune systems, more time indoors, dry nasal passages, and increased virus survival. Your immune system drops a little when it is colder out because it is putting in extra effort to keep you warm. People are indoors more often when it is cold outside, allowing the virus to pass more easily from one person to another. Even though the cold weather is correlated to getting sick, does not mean it is the direct cause of illness. 

https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/do-you-really-get-sick-from-being-cold

Comments

I like how you explained the connection between cold weather and illness—it’s easy to see why people might confuse correlation with causation. The way you laid out why cold weather indirectly increases our risk of getting sick was very clear and understandable. Also, nice job including the source for extra credibility!

Answer 4

Yes, it’s indeed a common misconception that cold weather directly causes illness, but science disagrees. Only pathogens—specifically viruses and bacteria—can actually cause infectious diseases like colds and the flu, which people often associate with winter. Unlike autoimmune, genetic, metabolic, or inflammatory diseases, which have diverse causes, infectious diseases spread through microbial agents, not temperature alone.

This myth is partly reinforced by language. In English, "cold" refers both to low temperatures and to the common cold, leading many to believe one causes the other. While colds and flu are indeed more prevalent in winter, this is a correlation, not causation. Studies confirm that low temperatures alone do not increase infection risk. For instance, a 1968 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM196810032791404) found that participants exposed to different temperatures while in contact with cold viruses showed no increased infection rates or severity or duration.

The seasonal rise in these illnesses can be explained instead by behavioral and environmental factors. In cold weather, people tend to gather indoors, in confined spaces with poor ventilation, which increases virus transmission. The News in Health article "Clearing the Air" discusses how such conditions make it easier for airborne viruses to spread (https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2023/12/clearing-air).

Humidity also plays a significant role. Viruses remain airborne longer in dry, winter air. Low humidity prevents moisture from forming around viral particles, allowing them to stay suspended and infectious for longer periods. Conversely, during warm, humid summer months, condensation weighs viruses down, causing them to fall out of the air more quickly. Furthermore, a 2023 study published in PNAS Nexus (https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/2/2/pgac301/6960684?login=false) found that, in an environment where the air is dry, all viruses causing infectious diseases are likely to stay twice as long in the drier air, in part because they are able to use the saliva emitted with them as a protective barrier.

While wearing warm clothing can help maintain body temperature, it doesn’t prevent infections. Scarves and similar items can act as partial barriers, reducing exposure to airborne virus particles. However, prolonged exposure to cold can reduce body temperature and lead to hypothermia, as described in Health Link BC's article on Hypothermia and Cold Temperature Exposure (https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/hypothermia-and-cold-temperature-exposure).

In short, cold weather itself does not make you sick. Instead, it’s the indirect effects—like spending more time indoors and reduced humidity—that increase the risk of illness during colder months.

Answer 5

This claim is an old wives tale that states going outside while it is cold will make you sick. While it is true people get more sick during this period it is mostly for these two reasons: more time spent indoors and around others who may be sick and have more germs around you and the lower humidity in the air causing nasal membranes to dry out, which allows more viruses and bacteria to enter the body.

Source: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/12/17/can-the-cold-really-make-you-sick

Answer 6

The claim that cold weather directly makes a person sick is nothing more than an old wives tale/myth. The  New York Times article written by Karen Weintraub on February 23 2018 lists a doctors perspective to this question and states "People tend to link cold weather with colds, but that doesn’t mean there’s a cause and effect connection, Dr. Spinner said. “These viruses that cause us to catch a cold predominate during the winter months in this part of the world.” The article also talks about how cold weather changes people's everyday routines, "Plus, cold weather keeps people inside more. “We’re more likely to be in close quarters this time of year, close together among those who are already sick,” Dr. Michael L. Munger, a practicing family physician in Overland Park, Kan., said in an email. Home heating and humidity may also play a role in winter health, Dr. Spinner said. Running the heat to keep the house warm also dries it out — and can dry out our sinuses, too. “When you don’t have good nasal mucus flow, it’s harder for the immune system to work against the virus,” he said." Therefore Cold weather does not have a direct effect or link to sickness but rather is subjective and may cause routine activities that open the human body up to poorer health decisions. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/23/well/can-being-cold-make-you-sick.html

Answer 7

The idea that "cold weather itself makes you sick" is a common myth. Cold weather doesn’t directly cause illness, but it can create conditions that make it easier for viruses to spread and make people more susceptible to infection.

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-winter-make-you-sick#:~:text=Cold%20weather%20may%20not%20be,more%20easily%20in%20the%20winter.

Answer 8

This claim is false. After research it shows that cold weather itself is not what makes you sick. It can be shown that it is a contributing factor but it is not what really makes you sick. You can not get a cold or flu from being in cold weather. You may be able to get hypothermia which can hurt your immune system but you are not going to be able to develop a disease that will get you sick. So this claim is just a myth we hear but it is not actually factual.

Article Used: https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/do-you-really-get-sick-from-being-cold

Answer 9

This claim is a myth. People get sick a lot more during colder seasons. But being cold doesn't directly correlate to getting sick. Being cold can only increase the chances of getting sick. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/myth-masher-cracking-the-case-on-colds#:~:text=Myth%3A%20You'll%20catch%20a,the%20major%20cause%20of%20colds.

Answer 10

Cold weather itself may not make you sick, but it may be an indirect influence. Dry winter air helps viruses spread, and our bodies are not as effective at fighting these viruses in cold air. Despite this, staying inside to avoid these outcomes has evidence of actually being worse for you in the long run. Staying inside reduces vitamin D exposure, and these deficiencies have been linked to weakened immune systems. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-winter-make-you-sick#:~:text=Cold%20weather%20may%20not%20be,more%20easily%20in%20the%20winter.