Proper ventilation when you have a cold: that’s what matters

You should not do without airing when you have a cold. Fresh air improves the indoor climate and reduces the virus load. But when you ventilate, you should pay attention to a few things.

Ventilation can be both good and bad when you have a cold. In principle, it is advisable to exchange the air in the room regularly if you have a runny nose. But you should pay attention to a few things when you let fresh air into the room when you have a cold. Otherwise, new symptoms could join your cold.

Airing when you have a cold: That’s why it’s good

First of all: colds are not caused by cold, but by pathogens that spread via the so-called droplet infection. The viruses adhere to aerosols that float through the air. That’s where they get when a sick person coughs, talks, or sneezes. If you then inhale these aerosols, for example, they end up on your mucous membranes, where the viruses settle and multiply.

The fact that you have a cold at all is not because you aired too much, according to ENT doctor Dr. Junge-Hülsing opposite the Apotheken-Umschau. In fact, ventilation can be recommended when you have a cold for several reasons, which relate to the risk of infection on the one hand and a better indoor climate on the other:

• Ventilation exchanges the air quickly, which keeps the virus concentration low. This makes it less likely that another person will contract it from you.
• According to Netdoktor, ventilation also improves the room climate, which is often too dry, especially in winter due to heating. On the one hand, dry room air promotes the survival of viruses in the air. On the other hand, the cilia (cilia) of the nasal mucosa also suffer from dry air. As a result, they are less mobile and cannot carry out their task of transporting pathogens out of the nose as effectively.

You should pay attention to this when you air out when you have a cold

Proper ventilation can therefore contribute to an optimal indoor climate in which the humidity is between 40 and 60 percent. This keeps the mucous membranes from drying out and reduces the risk of other people catching the cold as well.

But how does proper ventilation work when you have a cold?

• Avoid leaving windows open for long periods of time to avoid prolonged exposure to drafts.
• Instead, you should regularly air out briefly. To do this, open the windows fully instead of tilting them. This ensures a more efficient exchange of air, so that you can close the window again quickly and avoid too much heat loss from the room. You can read more about what is important when airing out here: Airing out: how often, how long and at what time of day?

Because although cold air in itself is not the cause of colds, drafts can definitely make a cold worse. According to the Apotheken Umschau, drafts constantly exchange the warm air around the body, which cools the surface of the body. As a result, blood flow also decreases in adjacent body regions, such as the mucous membrane of the throat.

Drafts can then dry out the mucous membranes of the nose and throat too much. It is then easier for cold viruses to establish themselves there. In addition, according to Netdoktor, if you breathe in cold air, it can irritate the airways and provoke additional coughing.

Therefore, if you are ill, you should not do without airing. But avoid staying in drafts for too long. Ventilate intermittently for a quick exchange of air and protect your neck and head with a scarf and hat so that these areas of the body do not get too cold. This will also help you avoid a stiff neck, which can also be a result of drafts.

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