Why the Flu and Respiratory Diseases are More Common in the Winter
While influenza viruses spread year-round, there is a reason why the fall and winter months are known as being “flu season”. Most people are aware that you are more likely to come down with the flu or other respiratory diseases during these colder months, but not many stop to question why this is the case. To help explain why a person is more likely to contract these diseases during the fall and winter, we’ll take a look at the three reasons why viruses spread more easily during the colder months.
Reason #1: People Spend More Time Indoors
The first reason why respiratory diseases spread more easily during the fall and winter is the fact that people spend more time indoors during these months where the outdoor weather isn’t so pleasant. Being confined inside with the doors and windows closed means that people spend a lot more hours breathing the same air as others during the fall and winter than they do in the spring and summer when outdoor activities are more common. This makes it more likely that someone who has contracted a respiratory disease will spread it to others during their contagious period.
Reason #2: Lower Vitamin D Levels
In addition to creating more opportunities for a virus to spread from person to person, spending too much time indoors during the fall and winter months creates another concern that makes the transmission of infectious diseases all the more likely – lower vitamin D levels. Vitamin D plays an essential role in promoting a strong, healthy immune system. Since our bodies produce vitamin D from sunlight though, our vitamin D levels tend to be a lot higher during the spring and summer when the days are longer and we are spending more time outdoors. Spending less time outside in the sunshine during the fall and winter means that our vitamin D levels tend to be lower during these times of the year, leading to weakened immune systems that make it easier for respiratory diseases such as the flu to spread from person to person.
Reason #3: Viruses Prefer Cold, Dry Climates
The first two reasons why respiratory diseases are more common in the fall and winter have much more to do with human behavior than any attributes of the viruses responsible for causing these diseases. However, the third and final reason for the flu season is the fact that most viruses are simply more likely to thrive in cold, dry climates. Given that viruses are more likely to survive longer the colder and drier it is, it makes sense that more people would contract respiratory diseases in the fall and winter months when temperatures and humidity levels alike are lower.
Schedule a Testing Appointment With St. Jude Labs
With the winter season in full swing, flu season is now in full swing as well. The fact that most viruses survive longer in cold, dry weather combined with the fact that people spend more time confined indoors during the fall and winter – leading to increased exposure and lower vitamin D levels – makes your chances of contracting a respiratory disease much higher during the colder months than it is any other time of the year.
Thankfully, we at St. Jude Labs are able to help keep you healthy and safe this flu season through our comprehensive selection of medical testing. Whether you would like to get tested for COVID-19, the flu, or any other respiratory disease PCR testing, we at St. Jude Labs are able to help. If you have been experiencing symptoms of a respiratory disease and would like to know for certain what it is that is causing those symptoms, be sure to contact us today to schedule a testing appointment. Through our full-spectrum molecular testing, we’ll be able to determine exactly what it is that is causing your symptoms so that you can begin undergoing the appropriate treatments.
