Are You More Likely to Get Sick When The Seasons Change? Here ’s What Experts Say

It happens every year: As soon as the winter weather breaks and the temperature starts rising as spring approaches, you come down with a cold. You’re not alone. While the biggest surge in human rhinovirus infections occurs in the fall, springtime also ushers in a second peak season for common colds. Experts say several factors play a part in these seasonal spikes. In both spring and fall, seasonal allergies can increase a person’s vulnerability to infections, says Dr. Bradley Chipps, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The nasal inflammation caused by seasonal allergies makes it easier for viruses to “set up shop” in your nose, Chipps says. Also, since your immune system is preoccupied dealing with your allergies, it has fewer resources available to defend you from illness-causing intruders, he says. Even if you don’t have allergies, big seasonal swings in barometric pressure, temperature and wind can irritate your airways and nasal passages — and compromise your immune system’s built-in bulwarks against colds and infections, he adds. That may be especially true this year, as the first day of spring — which falls on Tuesday, March 20 — comes amid a brutal end of winter, where a trio of Nor’easters pummeled the East Coast over the last few weeks. Research also suggests the common cold thrives in cooler temperatures. One recent study from Yale University found a seven-degree drop in...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime onetime Research Source Type: news