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Cold weather myths debunked
AccuWeather
Follow
12/4/2024
A lot of the tales you heard growing up may not be scientifically true. Anna Azallion takes a look at common weather misconceptions.
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News
Transcript
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00:00
Everybody knows if you have a shower, you don't dry your hair and go inside, you're going to catch a cold.
00:05
Well, actually that's not the case, right? You don't get cold from being cold, you get cold from a virus.
00:14
That is just one of the cold weather myths that we have heard probably since we were kids, right?
00:20
But a lot of these things that we took as fact might not be all that true. So let's break down
00:25
that first one that you just kind of got a sneak peek at the truth there. Does being exposed to
00:31
cold weather actually possibly make you sick? Well, not really. Bacteria and viruses are what cause
00:38
infections. Now, these are more common maybe in the winter months, but it's not because it's
00:43
cold per se. Some of the reasons are people staying inside, which we do when the weather
00:48
is cold, is associated with more often getting sick. Also, school is in session during these
00:54
months and all of those kids together, you're exposed to more germs and naturally can catch a
00:59
virus. And cold-causing viruses are believed to survive better in lower humidity, which there's
01:05
lower humidity during these colder winter months. So there's some reasons that you are more susceptible
01:11
to getting sick during the winter, but it's not because it's cold. Here's another one. You lose
01:16
most of your body heat through your head. This is another myth. It is not true. Now, your head and
01:21
chest are more sensitive to temperature changes, but covering any part of your body is equally
01:28
effective. So the bottom line is if your head is cold, put on a hat. If your hands are cold,
01:33
put on gloves. That's kind of the big takeaway here. Let's talk about hot drinks, this being
01:38
a great way to warm up. It actually has the opposite effect. It can actually cool your body
01:43
down faster because it can make you sweat more, which is designed to cool down your body.
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