I don’t know about you, but I can’t count the times my mother said, “You’ll catch your death!” if I even suggested going out in the cold weather. But I still went out in the cold and, guess what! I’m still alive! Now, whether I have superpowers, I got lucky or my mother was wrong and cold weather isn’t likely to kill you, before I tell you it’s safe and end up with your double pneumonia on my conscience, perhaps we ought to look at some evidence.
Why do people get sick more often in winter?
If people get sick more often in winter, when it’s cold, doesn’t that mean the rumours are true? Not necessarily! In fact, there’s evidence to suggest that staying out of the cold might be the real problem! Colds and flu are caused by viruses which spread more easily through dry air than moist air; in winter, people are more likely to have heaters on, which dries the air and when the temperature is below freezing, the air outside is also drier, creating optimal conditions to spread viruses. Furthermore, when the weather is cold, we are tempted to stay indoors, coming into contact with other people and putting ourselves into the firing-line of their germs! There are tips here for protecting yourself during flu-season.
Does this mean I have to go outside when it’s cold?
It’s clear that sitting out the winter in your house is neither practical nor possible; somebody has to go and buy teabags and jam, right? And if you’re still afraid of a little cold weather, think about how they do things in Sweden, where it’s always cold, so they really know about these things. In Sweden, it is, and has always been, common practice to put even newborn babies outside to sleep, even in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius. And why do they do this? To keep them healthy! Let me say that a little louder: TO KEEP THEM HEALTHY!! Of course the babies are snuggled up in their pram, cot, sometimes even a special sleeping-box. If the weather is particularly cold, their parents may put a blanket over the pram for added warmth but it has to be extremely cold by Swedish standards before they will be kept indoors. There is more about this practice, including how studies have shown this to prevent sickness in http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21537988.
But I don’t like the cold weather!
Nobody wants to be too cold, or too hot for that matter. The advantage that ‘too cold’ has over ‘too hot’ is that it’s a lot easier to do something about it. You simply need to wear appropriate clothing and, no, I don’t mean borrow your grandad’s long-johns and wear four pairs of socks under your wellies. Cold-weather clothing, such as that found at sealskinz.com, is a lot more sophisticated and stylish than it used to be. Sealskinz have a wide range of clothing, from warm winter hats to waterproof socks to keep you snug from head to toe. Joking aside, research shows that taking a brisk walk in the cold winter air is good for you, not only because of the usual benefits of exercise but also because you aren’t shut in with other people’s germs. Prolonged exposure to cold weather without suitable protection can, indeed, make you ill, but with the right clothing, the world is your oyster; it’s just a very cold oyster!