Your mum probably told you to rug up in winter because otherwise you’ll catch your death of cold. Was she right or not and why do we call colds, colds?
Well, she might have been partly right, but I’ll come back to that.
It’s not clear why we call colds, colds but when you go back a century or two, the term seems to have been used quite commonly. It’s likely to be because when we go out into the cold, especially if we have sensitive airways or asthma, we start to cough, and our nose runs with exercise. And when you have a respiratory virus, those are the kinds of symptoms you get.
So that’s probably why colds are called colds.
There’s no doubt that respiratory infections are more common in winter. Influenza is a seasonal virus although outbreaks have been known in late summer/early autumn. Non-COVID coronaviruses and rhinoviruses – the so called common cold viruses – are also seasonal and more common in winter.
The reasons as with all infections is an interaction between the virus, the environment, our behaviour and our bodies.
The viruses seem to survive longer outside the body in cold weather. We stay indoors more with closed windows and limited air circulation, and our immune systems are affected by cold weather, particularly in the nose. The lining of the nose is our first defence against viruses and there are complex interactions between white blood cells, antibodies and physical barriers like mucus. Cold weather is often associated with low humidity and that dries our nose and makes defensive action less efficient. It also may reduce the effectiveness of our white blood cells circulating in our bloodstream – although that’s controversial.
Even so, your mum might have been right. If you’re warm, then you’re more likely to have blood circulating to extremities like the nose. You might also have a more effective immune system.
But there are other things you can do.
Keep air circulating indoors. Wear an N95 mask if you think you’re coming down with something or in contact with others who are sneezing and coughing. And make sure you’re well hydrated so important bits don’t dry out.
