Why Do We Get Sick When the Weather Turns Cold? The Nitric Oxide Connection

Here we go again!

The shorts are reluctantly being stuffed into the back of the drawer. Jackets are coming out of dusty closets. The sun is setting earlier. There’s a chill in the air each morning, and honestly, it is welcome!

Football is starting, baseball is ending (actually, October may be the best time of year for sports in the U.S., with nearly every major sport in action), and you are cheering on your favorite teams.

School is in full swing, Halloween decorations adorn the neighbor’s house, and seemingly overnight, you’re needing to winterize all the summer toys: boats, RVs, campers, and everything else you swore you’d put away earlier this year.

Amid all the hustle and bustle, suddenly someone in your family, office, school, church, or airplane row is coughing.

Welcome to fall!

Why do so many people seem to get sick when the weather gets colder?

Contrary to what Mom may have told us, simply walking outside without a coat doesn’t give you a cold. The bigger story is what happens around us, and inside us, as summer turns to fall.

Fall Changes More Than the Temperature

As temperatures drop, we naturally spend more time indoors. Windows are closed. Kids have returned to school. Meetings move inside. Holiday gatherings begin.

And that means more people sharing more enclosed air.

Respiratory viruses can spread more readily in crowded indoor environments, particularly when ventilation is limited. Rhinoviruses, the most common cause of the common cold, circulate throughout the year but typically peak during the spring and late summer/fall. RSV season also generally begins during the fall and peaks during winter.

In other words, “cold and flu season” isn’t just an expression. Fall really does change our environment.

So what can we do to support our bodies?

That brings us to one of our favorite subjects on this blog:

Nitric Oxide and Your Body’s Natural Defenses

Most people who hear nitric oxide immediately think about cardiovascular health, blood flow, and circulation.

And for good reason.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that helps blood vessels relax and supports healthy circulation throughout the body.

But nitric oxide does much more than that.

Researchers have also studied nitric oxide’s role in the body’s innate immune response. Nitric oxide is naturally produced in the respiratory system, including the nasal passages and airways, where research suggests it plays a role in antimicrobial activity and normal mucociliary function, the process that helps your respiratory system move unwanted particles out of the airways.

That may be something you haven’t considered before.

Your body is already producing nitric oxide as part of the remarkable systems designed to keep you functioning at your best.

That makes supporting healthy nitric oxide production relevant throughout the year, and especially interesting as we enter fall and winter.

Your Fall Wellness Checklist

But we can give our bodies a better environment in which to function.

Most importantly, support the systems your body depends upon before you need them.

That’s where maintaining healthy nitric oxide levels becomes part of a bigger wellness conversation.

Make Nitric Oxide Part of Your Daily Routine

At Cardio Miracle, we’ve spent years talking about nitric oxide because of its remarkable role throughout the human body, from healthy blood flow and circulation to cardiovascular function, exercise performance, and overall wellness.

Cardio Miracle is formulated to support your body’s nitric oxide production while providing additional nutritional support as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Fall is a reminder that change is coming.

Different temperatures. Different schedules. Different environments. Different demands on the body.

Instead of waiting until winter arrives to think about your health, make fall the season when you recommit to it.

Support your circulation. Support healthy nitric oxide production. Support your body.

Because the best time to invest in your health isn’t when you’re already feeling lousy.

It’s today.

And as our founder, John Hewlett, likes to remind us, consistency matters. Cardio Miracle isn’t something we think about only when we’re feeling run down. Supporting our health is something we choose to do every day.