WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Will Temperature Changes Make You Sick?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hi brain Stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren Vogelbomb, and today's episode is a classic from

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<v Speaker 1>the vault. This one is timely here in our headquarters

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<v Speaker 1>in Atlanta, anyway, because the temperature has been bouncing from

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<v Speaker 1>near freezing to downright summary, and certainly we have a

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<v Speaker 1>few colds going around. But is it the actual changes

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<v Speaker 1>in temperature that make people sick? Hey, brain Stuff, Lauren

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<v Speaker 1>vogel Bomb. Here, raise your hand. If a parent, grandparent,

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<v Speaker 1>or an older, wiser caretaker of any kind has scolded

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<v Speaker 1>you for not bundling up when the temperatures drop, if

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<v Speaker 1>you are waving your arm frantically, you're far from alone.

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<v Speaker 1>Across cultures and geographical boundaries, there seems to be a

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<v Speaker 1>long held, pervasive belief that sudden meteorological changes automatically trigger

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<v Speaker 1>colds and flus. But does the theory really pan out? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>yes and no. According to health experts, weather driven sickness

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<v Speaker 1>is a thing, but the temperature itself is more of

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<v Speaker 1>an indirect cause of the resulting illness. In other words,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not the cold itself that makes you sick, but

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<v Speaker 1>the environmental factors related to it. A two thousand and

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<v Speaker 1>two meta analysis found that exposing your skin to chili

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<v Speaker 1>temperatures doesn't automatically make you more susceptible to the common cold.

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<v Speaker 1>What does likely set you up for sickness is the

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<v Speaker 1>drop in humidity. Associated with that sudden drop in temperature,

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<v Speaker 1>the mucous membranes in your eyes, nose, and lungs all

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<v Speaker 1>dry out. Those mucous membranes are your first gooiest line

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<v Speaker 1>of defense against bacteria and viruses, so losing the goo

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<v Speaker 1>makes you more susceptible to sickness, and because viruses are

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<v Speaker 1>more likely to survive and replicate in cold than in heat,

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<v Speaker 1>you're more likely to get sick when the weather turns frigid.

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<v Speaker 1>In a twenty ten study, Columbia Universities Jeffrey Shaman and

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<v Speaker 1>his colleagues compared thirty years worth of climate records to

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<v Speaker 1>health records. They determined that flu epidemics almost always followed

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<v Speaker 1>a drop in air humidity. Their evidence reviewed in a

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<v Speaker 1>twenty fifteen study and replicate it again in a two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and nine analysis of the swine flu pandemic. The

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<v Speaker 1>research paints a pretty compelling picture of why and how

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<v Speaker 1>dry air fosters this kind of cold and flu free

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<v Speaker 1>for all. When there's moisture in the air, the particles

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<v Speaker 1>we release from our noses and mouths when we cough

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<v Speaker 1>and sneeze stay large, but in dry air they break

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<v Speaker 1>into tiny pieces that can stay suspended in the environment

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<v Speaker 1>for hours or even days, creating a virus filled cloud

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<v Speaker 1>for us to inhale. Furthermore, when it starts getting cold

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<v Speaker 1>or more likely to stay indoors for more of the time,

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<v Speaker 1>exposing ourselves to that virus soup. One easy trick to

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<v Speaker 1>lowering your risk for illness during the colder months is

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<v Speaker 1>to run an air humidifier. A twenty thirteen study found

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<v Speaker 1>that doing so for just an hour a day could

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<v Speaker 1>kill thirty percent of the airborne viruses in schools. But

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<v Speaker 1>like everything else in life, balance appears to be key,

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<v Speaker 1>since some pathogens like mold actually thrive in human environments,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course, relying on good old standbys like vaccines

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<v Speaker 1>and hand washing is always a good idea to reduce

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<v Speaker 1>your risk, whether you bundle up in cold weather or not.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article can the change

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<v Speaker 1>in temperature really make you sick? On HowStuffWorks dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Michelle constantinofsky. Brainstuff is a production of iHeartRadio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with hostuffworks dot Com and is produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio. Visit the iHeartRadio app,

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