12 Myths About The Human Body Debunked

Something that you’ve probably heard numerous times throughout your life, generally from concerned relatives/ caregivers, is that being cold or sleeping in a cold room will give you a common cold.

This myth can be traced back to early novels, which may have depicted someone caught in a cold rainstorm suddenly contracting a severe illness. This literary device has since been passed down as old wives’ tales to countless generations since its inception.

Colds and other similar respiratory infections are caused by viruses. Unless you come into direct contact with these viruses, such as from an infected person, there is no way to contract the illness, no matter how cold you get.

The reason infections like these are more prevalent in colder climates and during winters, is that people are more likely to stay indoors than go outside. This provides a prime environment for transmission of the virus.

It is also true that the cold can lower the effectiveness of the immune system, which works better at higher temperatures, hence why you get a fever during an infection. However this difference is negligible, due to the internal body temperature we maintain. The only thing this “weakening” would do in this case is maybe increase the onset of the illness, though you were likely already infected and were going to contract it regardless of this.

But is there a simple cure available for those who contract the common cold?