According to the study linked below:
" ... scientists behind a new study may have found the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter. It turns out the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose."
" ... reducing the temperature inside the nose by as little as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50% of the billions of virus and bacteria-fighting cells in the nostrils."
"Cold air is associated with increased viral infection because you’ve essentially lost half of your immunity just by that small drop in temperature.”The study cautions that these are conclusions drawn so far only from in vitro observations, but the evidence is intriguing, the article says.
If the inside of the nose gets colder by as little as nine degrees cooler, its immuno-defences can drop as much as 42%, according to the study.
So what can people do to counteract this situation? Simple, the article says, just keep the nose warmer, such as wearing a mask over the nose.
Or perhaps, as the article also mentions, the " ... development of topical nasal medications that build upon this scientific revelation" will help.
But If this theory turns out to be true, one question immediately comes to mind: what about
working in an office that has a very cold air conditioning system? One so cold that it almost makes one shiver? (I bet most of us have been there). Would that also have the above-described effect of damaging the nasal immunosystem?
Or maybe in addition to the "topical nasal medications" mentioned above, health companies might someday manufacture and sell small, pocket-carried, hand-held devices producing warm air that one could regularly take a breath from, while walking down a wintry street.
Or maybe do something even simpler. When out walking in the cold, do this. Every minute or so, reach up and pinch the nose not quite shut, then slowly exhale warm air out of the nose. Perhaps doing this would be enough to keep the interior of the nose warm enough to keep the immunocells working?
Or maybe just breathing through a scarf wrapped around the lower portion of one's face, while breathing through the mouth, would work too?
Anyway, it would seem like this would be a handy thing to be aware of, if it is true, that as the weather gets colder, just keeping the nose warm might turn out to be an effective cold fighter.
Interesting.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/06/health/why-winter-colds-flu-wellness/index.html