Cold weather, some common rumors are out, let us use science to break them together! Rumor #1: Cold air can make you sick Although people are always screaming, “It’s cold enough to get sick,” the truth is that cold temperatures alone won’t make you sick; if anything, the opposite is true. “Cells become more resistant to infection as you’re exposed to cold air.” Says Rachel Weiman, author of Don’t Swallow Your Gum: Lies and Myths About Your Body and Your Health, “It’s your body’s way of fighting off freezing temperatures.” Plus, according to the National Institutes of Health, the typhoid virus grows best when the temperature is 91 degrees, and if you’re being exposed to the cold outdoors, your nostrils are definitely colder than they should be, so there’s nothing to worry about. Rumor #2: You Shouldn’t Exercise in the Winter Get out from under the warm covers and get some awesome (cold) outdoor exercise! A recent study showed that running and walking get faster when the temperatures are very cold, and the faster the pace, the more calories you can burn in a short period of time. And, in the winter, harder and faster workouts can spike your endorphins, which, according to an article in Environmental Science & Technology, begin to increase the moment you’re exposed to cold air. Rumor #3: There are no allergies in the winter In the winter, you may always feel like your nose doesn’t work or you want to scratch and claw at your neck, and the culprit behind all of these problems may be allergies. According to data released by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, one in five people will experience indoor and outdoor allergies, and a wide variety of indoor allergies really get worse in the winter; pets don’t stay outdoors for very long, tightly closed windows make for poor indoor air, and there’s a lot of mold and mildew that can scramble to multiply in the winter as well. If you’ve had symptoms for more than 10 days, or if they’ve subsided after taking antihistamines, it’s time to see your doctor. Rumor #4: You don’t need sunscreen in the winter Forget those bathing suits; department stores should put sunscreen and ski hats together. “Because the earth’s surface is closer to the sun in the winter, we’re actually exposed to more harmful radiation than most people realize.” Says plastic surgeon Robert Gaida. In addition, snow and ice can reflect up to 80 percent of harmful UV rays, which can cause secondary damage to the skin. Rumor #5: The Head Is the Primary Location for Heat Dissipation Contrary to the findings of a military study from the 1950s, most of your body heat is not dissipated from the top of your skull. “In that infamous study, volunteers arrived at the Arctic Circle fully wrapped up, with only their heads exposed, and the resulting claim that most of their heat was dissipated from their heads is ludicrous.” Weiman says in his book. If you’re outdoors in full gear but not wearing gloves, your hands will lose most of their heat – isn’t that obvious? Rumor #6: Reduced light causes winter depression While it’s unlikely that darkness will do much for depression, the truth is that there are many other factors besides the season that can contribute to winter depression-especially around the holidays. Busy schedules, family stress, and the question of how the holidays should be spent are all more likely to lead to the blues than in the winter, and only 5 percent of people who actually feel depressed because of the season actually do. Rumor #7: Women Gain 10 Pounds in the Winter With good food, boring days, and cozy blankets, it’s no surprise that women gain weight in the winter. However, recent studies have shown that women only gain up to 1-2 pounds (about 0.45-0.9 kg) in the winter, not the 10 pounds (about 4.5 kg) that they like to externally exaggerate. In addition, a study in a nutrition journal showed that it is the 6-week long vacation that results in the most weight gain, with an average of 51% of all annual weight gain coming from this period. According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, most women don’t try desperately to shed the pounds they’ve accumulated over the winter when spring arrives, so after a few years, many of them can actually gain quite a bit of weight. Rumor #8: Vitamin C prevents colds Well, there is actually a little bit of truth to this rumor. A 2013 University of Helsinki study showed that meeting the recommended daily dose of 75mg of vitamin C is really important for maintaining your immune system and preventing and even fighting off colds. Other studies have also shown that taking a large amount of vitamin C at the time of your first sniffle can shorten the length of a cold and reduce its severity, but the effects are closely related to both the dose and the method of taking it. Rumor #9: Cold Temperatures Cause Hair Loss Cold weather doesn’t actually cause you to lose your hair; instead, it may help your hair grow thicker. In one study from the University Hospital of Zurich, researchers spent six years following 823 women and found that they lost more hair in the summer and less in the winter. This may be a marvel of evolution, and can be roughly figured out by thinking about how vigorous your dog’s coat is in the winter. Still, a dry scalp can become less healthy and fragile in the winter, so if your head feels itchy in the cold air, you may need to switch to a scalp-protecting shampoo in the winter. Rumor #10: Drinking alcohol warms you up Alcohol warms you up from the inside out, but that’s because it sends your blood rushing to your pink skin and away from your internal organs. So in fact, your internal body temperature drops instead when you drink alcohol. Also, alcohol reduces your shivering, which tends to generate a lot of heat.