Can you catch a cold from being cold? I am so sick of people saying, put a coat on, you'll catch a cold. Aren't colds caused by a virus that you catch? Or an infection something to happen to come into contact with?
by 
Ananamiss
ANSWERS: 7
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The lower your body temperature drops, the more susceptible you are to catching something because it makes your immune system vulnerable.
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Leave your coat off, don't put on gloves and what EVER you do DON'T wear a hat! How's that? Feel better? LOL
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Cold and flu have long spread more easily in the winter. Some reasons are still being discovered. The latest is that viruses have a fatty coating that solidifies and becomes stronger in cold dry winter air, so the virus is more hardy while outside the body, whereas in summer the coating is weak, draws moisture, and the virus drops to the ground. Also, people stay indoors more and spread virus though the air and through touched surfaces. The observation of the winter factor gave rise to the italian name "influenza di friddo" or influence of the cold, thence influenza or flu. The winter factor gave rise to a lot of old wives' tales about exactly what it was about winter that spread cold and flu faster.
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It's not the cold that does it. Being cold lowers your immune response. Yes. Colds are caused by a virus, from my understanding. Maybe the cold keeps them more viable on surfaces for longer periods, and when your immune system is compromised, you are more likely to catch them.
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No, you have to be exposed to the cold virus, cold temperatures alone won't do it.
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No but usually when its colder people get more stressed and Its easyer to catch the virus bot the temperature has nothing to do with it.
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Some say going from a warm house into the cold and back and forth does a bit of a shock to the system, making you more suseptable to catching a cold. There has to be something of a connection with the winter cold, because this is when all of the colds start spreading. Some people say this is because people gather indoors more in the winter, i disagree, walmart has tons of people all of the time so this theory doesnt fly. Anyhow i think we are not 100% sure yet on any of this, but here is a link from 2005 about this exact thing. http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/11/14/cold.chill/index.html
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