It might be hard to believe after the heatwave haze of a summer we’ve had, but we’re once again edging into the cold and flu season. How can you steel yourself against the semi-inevitable onslaught of sick days and runny noses? Not believing commonly held winter health misconceptions for a start.
Seasonal colds are caused by viruses, explains Dr Margarita Kitova-John, GP and founder of the Lantern Clinic. “These viruses spread mainly through close contact and the air we share, particularly in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces.”
Importantly, your overall health makes a difference. “Consistent sleep, a varied whole-food diet, sufficient protein, regular movement, stress management, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol, and correcting genuine nutritional deficiencies all help it function normally,” she continues.
“Gut health also matters because much of the body’s immune activity is connected to the gastrointestinal tract and its microbiome. That doesn’t mean that a probiotic will prevent every cold, but supporting the foundations of health can improve immune resilience and the way the body responds when it encounters an infection.”
People often misunderstand how infections spread, according to Dr Asiya Maula, a GP who works both in the NHS and with private patients at The Health Suite. “The less glamorous habits remain the most dependable: wash your hands, ventilate busy rooms and take up vaccinations for which you are eligible.”
Here, the experts dispel popular myths around catching a cold.
Going outside with wet hair gives you a cold
“Wet hair may make you feel cold, but it cannot create a viral infection, for that you need to encounter a cold virus,” explains Kitova-John. “Colds are more common during colder months largely because we spend longer indoors, in closer contact with other people and sharing the same air.”
Cold weather itself causes colds
“Cold temperatures do not cause infection,” reiterates Kitova-John. “However, there is a grain of truth behind this myth. Cold, dry air may help some viruses survive and spread, while cooling the nasal passages may temporarily reduce some of the nose’s local antiviral defences. Cold weather can therefore create more favourable conditions for infection, but it cannot give you a cold on its own.”
Taking vitamin C will stop a cold
“Vitamin C is essential for normal immune function, but taking a large dose when symptoms begin is not a cure,” explains Kitova-John. “Research suggests that regular supplementation does not prevent most people from catching colds. So I wouldn’t advise relying on one ‘hero’ nutrient.”
We are often sold expensive products promising to “boost” the immune system, notes Maula, “but more is not automatically better. Megadoses will not create an invisible shield against winter viruses and some supplements can cause side effects or interact with medication.”
“There is no supplement that can make us invincible to catching a cold or flu,” Kitova-John adds. “The immune system is not a switch that can simply be turned up, it is a complex network that needs to be well-regulated.”
That said, Maula says: “Correcting a genuine deficiency matters. UK guidance advises most people to consider 10μg of vitamin D during autumn and winter. Beyond that, sufficient sleep, a varied diet and recommended vaccinations are more valuable than an overflowing supplement cupboard.”
Green mucus means you need antibiotics
“People assume green or yellow mucus proves that an infection is bacterial,” says Maula. “But the colour can actually come from immune cells responding to an infection and is commonly seen with viral colds, too.
“Antibiotics do not treat viruses, and taking them unnecessarily exposes people to side effects while contributing to antibiotic resistance. Decisions about antibiotics should be based on the complete clinical picture – not the colour of a tissue,” she adds.
Antibiotics may occasionally be needed to treat severe, worsening or unusually prolonged symptoms, Kitova-John says. “But most uncomplicated colds, coughs and sore throats do not benefit from them.”
You should ‘starve a fever’ or sweat an illness out
“Deliberately avoiding food or wrapping yourself in layers to force out sweat will not drive a virus from the body,” Maula says. “Fever and sweating already increase fluid loss, so trying to become hotter can leave somebody more dehydrated and uncomfortable.
Instead, drink regularly and eat nourishing foods according to your appetite, she advises. “A person with a fever, widespread aches or significant fatigue should rest and should not be attempting an intense workout to ‘sweat it out.'”
You are not contagious until you feel ill
“People can spread influenza before they realise – they have it often from around a day before symptoms begin,” Kitova-John says. “This helps explain why viruses travel so quickly through families, schools and workplaces. Someone who feels perfectly well may already be infectious.”
The flu jab can give you flu
The vaccination does not contain live, infectious influenza virus, and so cannot give you flu, Kitova-John explains. “Some people experience a sore arm, headache, mild temperature or tiredness as their immune system responds, but that is not the same as catching influenza,” adds Maula. “People may also encounter a completely different respiratory virus around the time of vaccination or catch flu before protection has developed. The coincidence can sometimes wrongly convince them that the vaccine caused the illness.”
Windows should always be kept closed in winter
“Poor ventilation can allow respiratory particles to accumulate when somebody inside is infected,” Maula says. “Heating also makes indoor air feel dry, which may worsen an irritated nose or throat. Briefly opening windows, particularly when several people are sharing a room, can improve ventilation without losing all the heat.”
In fact, if someone in your home is ill, improving ventilation (alongside handwashing and keeping the place clean), is the best way to minimise your risk of catching it too. “Open windows regularly, ideally on opposite sides of the room, and avoid spending prolonged periods close to the unwell person in a closed space. Respiratory viruses can accumulate in shared indoor air, so replacing that air with fresh outdoor air reduces the amount of virus everyone else may inhale.”
Fit and healthy people do not need to worry about flu
“Fitness is not immunity,” Maula stresses. “A young, active person can still become seriously unwell with flu and can pass it to somebody who is pregnant, older or medically vulnerable.
“Looking after yourself reduces some health risks, but it does not make you invincible. People who are eligible for seasonal vaccines should not assume that exercise or a healthy diet makes that protection unnecessary.”
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