Well, rats. I caught a cold again. I got chilled by sleeping out in the rain after a day of riding and a few beers. That’ll do it!
I used to think that I only had to avoid touching my face or catching a bug from somebody else. But I just learned that it’s much worse than that. Sorry.
…When our immune system is suppressed we catch colds FROM OURSELVES.
Ugh!
Most of the time we pick up a bug from someone else, but 1 in 5 of us are carrying rhinoviruses at any time. Our immunes usually fight them off, so we don’t know we’re carrying.
Note: of course everyone is different! The main thing is to get to know your own immune profile.
I used to think that getting caught in the rain had nothing to do with catching a cold — that it was an old wives’ tale. Nope.
Sure, wash your hands and don’t touch your face. Wear a germ-mask in public! (Go Asian! They know what they’re doing!)
What suppresses immunes? Stress. That’s about it. What causes stress? Fatigue is a form of stress. So, exercise results in a temporary lowering of resistance while we recover. Racing even more so. Getting chilled or wet for a prolonged time definitely. …Drinking a beer or booze! …Eating sugar!
Yeah, some sports and adventure are built around making yourself uncomfortable. Really, I don’t care much about comfort. But I suspect that even sleeping on hard ground is less restful and more stressful. The immune isn’t bouncing back quite as nicely.
Yeah, some ppl can sleep in the rain forever and not catch a cold. Great! …Know thyself.
As for me, I need to stay warmer. That’s all.
Oh, and at the first signs of a glitch, HIT IT! …With Zicam and Emergen-C and vitamins and water. You might luck out and feel low only for a couple days.
