Can you catch a cold from a draft, ice cream, or air conditioning?

3 hours ago

Many people believe that you can catch a cold after eating something cold or sitting in a place with opposite doors and windows open. Indeed, after spending a long time in a room with an operating air conditioner, symptoms such as a runny nose and sore throat may appear. However, a cold is an infectious disease, and such situations do not lead to the development of ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection).

Can you catch a cold because of air conditioning?

A person staying in such a room starts to feel unwell after some time. The patient experiences a sore throat, nasal congestion, coughing, and sneezing. Since the symptoms are very similar to those of ARVI, this condition is often perceived as a cold.

Air conditioners extract moisture from the air, and this negatively affects the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. As a result, the dried respiratory tract begins to produce fluid, and the nose runs. This situation also often occurs during long car rides. If you drive a car with the air conditioner turned on for a long time, your throat may hurt. However, when you get out of the car, you feel relieved.

Also, people often get sick during travel and blame the air conditioner, believing that the sudden change in temperature caused it. In reality, they do not even think about the fact that they encounter many viruses in crowded places. The probability of catching an illness is high at airports and train stations.

In conclusion, cool air is not harmful, but dry air and the viruses in it increase the risk of getting sick. To reduce the likelihood of developing infectious diseases, one should always wash hands thoroughly with soap, use separate towels and dishes, and avoid touching the eyes and nose with dirty hands.

Can you catch a cold from a draft?

Getting cold, sitting in a room with an operating air conditioner, or going outside after washing your hair does not cause ARVI. But why do people get sick more often in the cold season?

According to one theory, breathing in cold air leads to the narrowing of blood vessels in the nose and upper respiratory tract, which reduces blood flow and immunity. For this reason, the number of acute respiratory diseases increases in winter.

Many people are afraid of drafts and do not ventilate rooms often in winter. However, a draft is just a normal and regular airflow, and ventilating rooms is the best way to fight viruses. If an infected person stays in an enclosed space, the spread and multiplication of the virus occur quickly, and the risk of infection is high.

Chinese scientists conducted a study involving more than three thousand students and found that if a room is not ventilated, the incidence of illness increases. For example, those living in a six-person room got sick more often than those living in a three-person room. Therefore, the less fresh air enters the house from outside, the higher the risk of catching an infection.

Can you get sick because of eating ice cream?

The most common causes of a sore throat are bacteria, viruses, and smoking. Consuming cold drinks or sweets does not increase the risk of illness.

Furthermore, doctors recommend consuming cool foods and even eating ice cream to reduce discomfort and pain in the throat.