Why you always get sick in the winter

Plus more health news |

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

The (other) reason you are more likely to get sick in winter By Jamie Ducharme Health Correspondent If you haven’t gotten sick this season, consider yourself lucky. Millions of people across the country have already come down with COVID-19, influenza, or RSV—and it’s only early December. There are lots of reasons why winter becomes a contagion fest (more time spent indoors and abundant holiday gatherings, to name a couple). Now, new research published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology points to another: the body’s immune defenses don’t work as well when it’s cold outside. Your nose is built to keep out invaders like viruses and bacteria. If a pathogen tries to enter, it releases a swarm of tiny, fluid-filled sacs meant to attack the intruder. But, as the authors of the new study found, that response is blunted in cold weather, meaning viruses are more likely to bypass the nose’s defenses, get inside your body, and make you sick. With viruses spreading like wildfire and temperatures dropping, you may want to double down on masking this winter. Your immune system could use the help. READ THE STORY.   Share the story

What else to read Abortion Clinic Closures Double in Year After End of Roe v. Wade By Kelsey Butler / Bloomberg Twice as many abortion clinics closed in 2022 compared to last year, following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Read More » Here’s Why Curse Words Sound the Way They Do By Jeffrey Kluger Certain sounds in certain words give them their vulgar oomph Read More » Column: What the Protests Tell Us About China's Future By William Hurst China has seen the largest protests in years in response to COVID-19 lockdowns. What do they reveal about China today? Read More » Column: Universal Masking in School Works. New Data Shows How Well By Jonathan Levy, Robin Cogan, and Esther Choo A new report from Boston schools shows that universal masking for kids reduces the spread of COVID-19 and keeps kids in school Read More » Feeling Off? It Could Be ‘Ambient’ Stress By Jamie Ducharme It's everywhere during the pandemic Read More »

One Last Read An impending COVID-19 financial crisis With federal funds for the country's pandemic response running low and Republicans resistant to approving more, uninsured Americans may soon find COVID-19 treatments and vaccines out of their reach, the New York Times reports. Making matters worse, if manufacturers are allowed to sell COVID-19 drugs and shots commercially next year, prices are expected to go up. Read More »

If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here. Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and Lori Fradkin and was edited by Elijah Wolfson.

Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters. Subscribe to TIME

TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice.   Connect with TIME via Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters       UNSUBSCRIBE     PRIVACY POLICY     YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS   TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508   Questions? Contact health@time.com   Copyright © 2022 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.