Anyone in Edinburgh can confirm that the last few weeks have seen a significant drop in temperature, with layers, scarves, and heating all coming out in hopes of fighting off the bitter chill. Lecture halls are now sure to be found echoing with sniffles and coughs from the remaining students who have still managed to show up to their Week 11 classes. But is it actually the cold that causes these sudden waves of sickness?
Technically, cold temperatures do not exclusively cause illness, as most common colds and flu are viruses that spread by coming into contact with someone else who is already infected. Whilst symptoms can range in severity — from sore throats and runny noses to fever and chills — these are all spread via close contact with those already infected.
However, why are we so used to the phrase, “Wrap up or you’ll catch a cold?” The truth is that whilst cold weather doesn’t directly make you sick, it does influence a number of factors that increase your chance of becoming sick.
A major factor is that cold weather means people naturally spend more time together indoors, typically opting for pub visits, movie nights, and dinner parties as opposed to summer, where lots of social time is spent outdoors. As a consequence, these spaces unfortunately become the perfect breeding grounds to spread illness, as viruses can spread more easily from person to person.
Some scientific research has also suggested that certain illnesses — for example, influenza — can survive longer in the cold, which also increases your likelihood of getting unwell in winter. There is also evidence to show that cold weather makes it harder for your immune system to fight off illness during the colder months.
If you are one of the many unfortunate students to be sick this winter, we’ve all been there. It’s important to rest your body and stay hydrated in order to fully recover. Although semester finals are a stressful time for everybody, make sure to take the time to get enough sleep — and maybe put on a rubbish Netflix movie in bed until you feel better!
Image by Brittany Colette on Unsplash