Jan 30, 2020 4 min read

Q. Will you explain something to me? My grandma says I’ll get a cold if I go outside in the cold. She says if I don’t have something on my head it would be easier to get one. My dad says you only get colds if you catch one from someone else. Who is right? I hope it’s my grandma because my dad is right now getting on my nerves.

12-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: I hope this answer makes you happy, or at least brings you peace. I hope you and your dad can talk about why he’s getting on your nerves. It’s normal to feel weird feelings about others as we grow up. Talk it out.

Your dad is right because the common cold is caused by a virus, which is airborne and spreads from person to person.

But, your grandma is partially right. While the weather doesn’t cause colds, the viruses responsible for a cold do spread more easily in lower temperatures. People are more likely to get a cold if their immune systems aren’t working at top capacity. Our immune system is the amazing part of our body that helps us fight infection. Exposure to cold and dry air can lower our immune system’s ability to protect us.

Bottom line, only a virus spread from one person to another can cause the common cold, but certain conditions may make us more susceptible to the virus.

Let’s talk about the science behind common colds. Although many viruses can cause a cold, rhinoviruses are responsible for more than half of all colds and cold-like illnesses. Rhinoviruses are spread by:

• Direct person-to person contact that spreads the virus. Examples are hugs, using the same utensils, drinking from the same cup, or not washing one’s hands.
• Inhaling the virus. When a person inhales, or takes in air, small droplets go into the air. If the person is infected with a virus, the air will include it. This is why we all should cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze. The best way to do so is to cough into a tissue or paper towel. If one is not available, we should cough into the inside of our elbows. Be careful to wash the shirt or sweater you coughed into.

Once we inhale a rhinovirus, it attaches itself to the cells inside our nasal passages, or our nose and throat, and begins to replicate. The virus particles spread through our upper respiratory tract. A common cold is also called an upper respiratory infection (URI).

The best advice is to wash your hands as much as possible.

Again, weather does not cause colds, but research suggests a rhinovirus replicates best at temperatures lower than 98.6 degrees. The inside of the nose is about 91.4 degrees.

• Weather can lower our immune response – our body’s ability to fight off infections. Studies show the reason for this may include:
• Lower vitamin D levels because of less exposure to the sun during the winter can lower our immune response;
• More time spent indoors when it’s cold, where people are closer to one another in a confined space and can more easily spread viruses.

Here are some ways to increase your chances of avoiding a cold:

• Increase your vitamin D intake. Talk with your health care provider before taking supplements, but you can easily eat foods high in vitamin D like fatty fish, eggs and mushrooms;
• Get lots of sleep;
• Avoid dehydration, which just means drink lots of water;
• Wash your hands;
• Do not share foods, drinks and utensils with those who have a cold.

When your grandma tells you to wear a hat, she knows we lose up to 50% of our body heat in cold weather through our heads. Wearing a hat is wise. However, being outside in the cold still doesn’t cause a cold.

Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.