Why Do We Easily Catch a Cold When Feeli

Why Do We Easily Catch a Cold When Feeling Chilled? Stop Mistaking "Cold" for the Culprit

 

Every time the seasons change and the temperature drops, you can always hear people around you say, "I caught a chill last night, and now I have a cold today." It seems that we have long taken it for granted that there is an equal sign between "feeling chilled" and "catching a cold." But did you know that what causes us to have a stuffy nose, cough, and aching body is not the "cold" itself, but the "invisible driver" behind it?

 

Many people think that low temperatures can directly make people catch a cold, but this is actually a common misunderstanding. Feeling chilled does not directly cause a cold; the real "culprit" is cold viruses—they may have long been lurking in our nasal cavity, throat, or floating in the surrounding air. And feeling chilled is more like an "accomplice" that gives these viruses a "green light."

 

When the body feels chilled, in order to prioritize maintaining the temperature of core organs such as the internal organs, it will automatically reduce blood supply to peripheral areas like the skin and nasal mucosa. This causes the defensive cells on the nasal mucosa to be "short of supplies" and their activity to decrease significantly—just like the "guard team" that could originally identify and eliminate viruses quickly has a sudden drop in combat effectiveness. At the same time, the low-temperature environment may also indirectly accelerate the replication speed of some cold viruses, making them "reproduce crazily" in our respiratory tract. As one side weakens and the other strengthens, the viruses easily break through the body's defense line, and cold symptoms follow.

 

In fact, the key to preventing colds after feeling chilled is not to "avoid the cold," but to strengthen the body's "defense system." For example, add clothes in time when the temperature drops, focusing on protecting parts that are prone to getting chilled, such as the neck and abdomen, to avoid a sudden decrease in blood supply to the respiratory mucosa; drink a cup of warm water after returning to a warm environment to help the body quickly restore circulation and activate mucosal defense; if you already feel a little cold, you can also soak your feet in warm water to promote blood circulation and revitalize the body's "guard team."

 

Next time when the temperature drops, stop simply blaming the "cold weather." Remember: feeling chilled is the "trigger," and viruses are the real "culprit." Keeping warm and protecting the defense line of the respiratory tract allows you to cope with seasonal changes more calmly.