Doctor explains what’s actually making you sick when it’s cold outside

You get them a couple of times a year but do you actually know how you catch a cold or do you still think it's because you went outside with wet hair?

"Don't go outside with wet hair!" "Make sure you wrap up warm or you'll catch a cold!"

We've all heard the warnings shouted after us as we've run out the house late for school or a meeting, but how do you actually catch a cold?

Well, it turns out some of these warnings aren't 100 percent factually correct - and yes, we're being really pedantic here about the phrase 'catch'.

How you actually 'catch' a cold? (Getty Stock Images)

Dr Christopher Choi told the Post: "The belief that you can catch a cold by going outside with wet hair is a myth.

"Wet hair does not directly have any bearing on catching a cold. A cold is caused by viruses, typically rhinovirus."

How do you actually catch a cold?

Well, it all comes down to viruses.

Mayo Clinic explains: "Many viruses can cause a common cold. Rhinoviruses are the most common cause."

A cold virus 'enters the body through the mouth, eyes or nose' and the virus can spread through 'droplets in the air when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes or talks,' or 'hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold'.

'Sharing objects with the virus on them, such as dishes, towels, toys or telephones,' alongside 'touching your eyes, nose or mouth after contact with the virus,' can also lead to you catching a cold virus.

So, technically, having wet hair or going outside with fewer clothes on can't actually cause a cold, however, that doesn't mean you should frolic wild and free like Bridget Jones at the end of the first movie in the snow.

Dr Choi added: "Even though wet hair doesn’t directly cause colds, it can potentially contribute to body temperature dropping slightly, which could minimally contribute to catching cold."

He also noted there's 'some evidence' that virus such as rhinovirus 'multiply better in cold weather'.

Now, this is all very well and good, but how can you do your best to prevent catching a cold?

Can you 'catch' a cold from having wet hair outside? No. (Getty Stock Images)

Preventing a cold

Well, it's pretty basic stuff really - washing your hands, cleaning and disinfecting, covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze and not sharing utensils. Oh, and staying away from anyone else who has a cold.

The average person gets around two or three colds a year, but if yours lingers for much longer than 10 days or you get worried about your symptoms not going away, you can always consult a doctor.

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