Can you literally catch a cold by cold weather?

Answer 1

No. Actually (and this is kind of ironic) the cold virus hates and is killed by cold. People often put there childrens toys/teddybears in the freezer to kill off the bugs !.

Colds are spread by particles in the air (from when someone coughs or sneezes) and much more commonly from surface areas (colds can live for anything up to 6 hours on a surface) especiall high traffic areas such as food courts in the shopping mall. Touching a contaminated surface with your hande and then touching yoyr eyes or nose will easily introduce the virus into your nasal cavity (where it likes to live).

Did you know you can only catch each strain of cold once ! your body creates an immunity from the cold bug that youve caught...problem is there are over 300 strains !!

One main theory why people catch the cold in the winter months is that more people are indoors more often, meaning larger crowds in shopping mall and other common areas. The bug is easily spread to hundreds of people and the air is always warm from heating (perfect for prolonging viruses in the air and on surfaces)

It takes 3 days from contamination before you get the typical symptoms. On day 4-6 you are most contageous becuase the virus irritates your nasal passage causing you to cough and sneeze and thus spread the virus (cheeky I know) and after 1.5-2 weeks your immune system has completely killed off the germs !!

To reduce chances of catching a cold:
wash hands frequently and practice good hygene 9especially in the colder months)
stay away from people with colds
dont touch your eyes or nose without washing hand first
practise good cold etiquitte (stay home in bed if you have a cold to stop others from being infected)
avoid high traffic areas like malls, airports etc
blow nose and cover mouth when you cough or sneeze :-)

hope you enjoyed my enormous responce !!

Answer 2

No.

The greatest myth about the common cold is that susceptibility to colds requires a weakened immune system.

Facts: 1. Healthy people with normal immune systems are highly susceptible to cold virus infection once the virus enters the nose. In volunteers studies, approximately 95% of normal adults became infected when virus was dropped into the nose (72, also see How Cold Virus Infection Occurs).

2. Of people who become infected, only 75% develop symptoms with a cold. (5, 72) The other 25% have virus growing in the nose but have no symptoms. They have an "asymptomatic infection".

3. Why people sometimes become infected but do not develop cold symptoms is a mystery. One clue is that in such instances the person may not be producing the normal amount of certain inflammatory mediators, the natural body chemicals which cause cold symptoms (2, also see What Causes Cold Symptoms). If this theory is correct, then people with active immune systems may be more prone to developing cold symptoms than people with less active immune systems!

Answer 3

I may add here, some of us have a tendency to produce symptoms of cold once we are exposed to the cold weather, may be we have strong conviction that we should in fact be catching cold( psychosomatic). Maybe it is a sort of allergy reflex due some conditioning. (What with most of allergies are mind related).

Eating ice-cream should in fact increase our resistance to cold.
I read somewhere that catching cold is primarily through physical contact especially through secretions from nose and mouth. Be aware not touch others hands immediately after they touch theirs mouth and nose. Because virus cannot survive outside the human body for more than 3 minutes (max) I suppose. Let go those three minutes and we may not catch the virus. Moreover if we have resistance and immunity we are hard to contact.

The common belief that door knobs are source of virus which is proved in a research as not to be 100% true. Any smooth surface will not accumulate virus unless it is greasy.
Using the same handkerchief as others will do all the harm, except helping us feel chivalrous but still catch chills.

Answer 4

actually cold weather has nothing to do with catching a cold. According to some experts it is a virus that is responsible. It is the kind of virus that can survive in a hot or cold weather so there are many instances that you catch cold even it is a warm weather.

Answer 5

There are many many different kinds of viruses that cause the common cold. Many of these viruses seem to have specific times of the year where they are most likely to cause infection. Picornaviruses and Rhinoviruses have different months where they are most active. They are all most active in Fall and Winter months and this also coincides with people spending more time indoors. These viruses are easy to spread in schools during these months. I once saw a documentary where they tried to prove that getting cold does not cause the common cold. They put the volunteers outside in a cool breeze and got them wet and had them put their feet in cold water. Strangely enough the volunteers all got colds!!!
RSV is a nasty virus that can be dangerous for newborns. Infection with this virus is most likely October-March.
PS It has been very very many years since I studied Virology in college so there's probably lots more information now. Best wishes and keep that box of tissues handy - cause cold and flu season is just around the corner.

Answer 6

No! The common cold is a virus. You can't catch it by just going out in cold weather. But cold weather can lower your resistance. and make you more prone to catching it.

Answer 7

No you can't,but your ability to fight off a cold virus might be weakened if your body is constantly exposed to the cold weather. Your body is a beautiful work engine that takes care of you,and when it gets cold your blood rushes to the areas that need to be helped the most thus leaving others body systems exposed thereby weakening them.

Answer 8

Colds are caused by rhinovirus. The best thing to do in a stuffy house in the middle of winter is to open the windows for a few minutes on a sunny day.

Answer 9

You catch a cold by picking up the germs, but it is said that getting chilled can weaken your immune system and make you less able to fight off a cold.

Answer 10

NO! A cold is a bacteria and is usually spread by people with a 'cold' who sneeze and or cough in public. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly during cold season.