Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hi brain Stuff. I'm Lauren Vogelbomb, and today's episode is a classic from the vault. This one is timely here in our headquarters in Atlanta, anyway, because the temperature has been bouncing from near freezing to downright summary, and certainly we have a few colds going around. But is it the actual changes in temperature that make people sick? Hey, brain Stuff, Lauren
vogel Bomb. Here, raise your hand. If a parent, grandparent, or an older, wiser caretaker of any kind has scolded you for not bundling up when the temperatures drop, if you are waving your arm frantically, you're far from alone. Across cultures and geographical boundaries, there seems to be a long held, pervasive belief that sudden meteorological changes automatically trigger
colds and flus. But does the theory really pan out? Well, yes and no. According to health experts, weather driven sickness is a thing, but the temperature itself is more of an indirect cause of the resulting illness. In other words, it's not the cold itself that makes you sick, but the environmental factors related to it. A two thousand and two meta analysis found that exposing your skin to chili temperatures doesn't automatically make you more susceptible to the common cold.
What does likely set you up for sickness is the drop in humidity. Associated with that sudden drop in temperature, the mucous membranes in your eyes, nose, and lungs all dry out. Those mucous membranes are your first gooiest line of defense against bacteria and viruses, so losing the goo makes you more susceptible to sickness, and because viruses are more likely to survive and replicate in cold than in heat, you're more likely to get sick when the weather turns frigid.
In a twenty ten study, Columbia Universities Jeffrey Shaman and his colleagues compared thirty years worth of climate records to health records. They determined that flu epidemics almost always followed a drop in air humidity. Their evidence reviewed in a twenty fifteen study and replicate it again in a two thousand and nine analysis of the swine flu pandemic. The research paints a pretty compelling picture of why and how dry air fosters this kind of cold and flu free
for all. When there's moisture in the air, the particles we release from our noses and mouths when we cough and sneeze stay large, but in dry air they break into tiny pieces that can stay suspended in the environment for hours or even days, creating a virus filled cloud for us to inhale. Furthermore, when it starts getting cold or more likely to stay indoors for more of the time, exposing ourselves to that virus soup. One easy trick to lowering your risk for illness during the colder months is
to run an air humidifier. A twenty thirteen study found that doing so for just an hour a day could kill thirty percent of the airborne viruses in schools. But like everything else in life, balance appears to be key, since some pathogens like mold actually thrive in human environments, and of course, relying on good old standbys like vaccines and hand washing is always a good idea to reduce your risk, whether you bundle up in cold weather or not.
Today's episode is based on the article can the change in temperature really make you sick? On HowStuffWorks dot Com, written by Michelle constantinofsky. Brainstuff is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with hostuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.