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Can Weather Changes Actually Make You Sick? Here’s What We Found Out

Dr. Russell Traister says for the most part, the concept of getting sick from exposure to cold temperatures is more of an "old wives' tale."

CLEMMONS, N.C. (WFMY) – Summer has officially left the building. We can tell by that sudden drop in temperatures we got this week and they’re expected to be even lower next week.

But can that swing in the weather actually make you sick?

We spoke to Dr. Russell Traister, assistant professor of allergy and immunology at Wake Forest Baptist Health, to find out.

Dr. Traister says for the most part, the concept of getting sick from exposure to cold temperatures is more of an “old wives’ tale.”

What happens is the nerves in your nose react to the abrupt change in temperature.

“When you go from a warm environment like indoors and then you go out into extremely cold weather, the linings of your nose, nerve endings and vessels in there sort of get a mixed signal.

“The nerve endings tell your nose to run, and so it does,” Dr. Traister said.

Basically, your nose is just protecting your lungs from the cold air entering it, providing some moisture.

It’s a similar reaction to the one when we eat spicy food: our nose can feel a little itchy and start running.

“The cold weather can be causing your nose to run but in reality you’re not actually infected with a virus or have an actual cold virus, so it’s just a reaction to the cold weather,” he mentioned.

That said, Dr. Traister says that the only way to get sick is by being in contact with other people with a cold or virus like the flu.

MORE: Here's How To Protect You And Your Family From The Flu

“It’s going to require some type of exposure, maybe in a large group setting, people that have the flu, or kids in daycare and things like that,” he says.

He also points out people associate getting certain viruses like the flu when it gets colder because colder temperatures come right around when flu season starts, when, really, it’s just a coincidence.

“During flu season, which we’re starting now because it’s similar to when the weather is changing, and it sort of just happens to coincide when the cold weather is coming,” he explains.

Your best shot at avoiding a runny nose and similar symptoms? Bundling up whenever your venturing out into the cool outdoors.

RELATED: 5 Things To Know About Flu Vaccines This Year

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