Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 3 hrs ago
How cold weather can affect health and ways to stay well
A GP says cold weather can affect several parts of the body during autumn and winter.
Cold, dry air and more time indoors can help viruses spread, while cold air may also weaken the nose’s local defences.
This can contribute to more coughs, flu and respiratory infections in winter.
Cold temperatures narrow blood vessels, which can raise blood pressure and make the heart work harder; people with heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, and smokers, are especially vulnerable.
Cold air can irritate airways and worsen asthma or COPD, causing coughing, wheezing or breathlessness.
Dry air and indoor heating can aggravate eczema and dry skin, while cold can trigger Raynaud’s symptoms in fingers and toes.
Less activity and increased stiffness can worsen joint pain, particularly for people with arthritis or chronic pain.
The GP’s advice focuses on practical ways to stay warm and healthy through the colder months, though the supplied information does not specify those measures.
Dr Claire Agathou outlined ways cold weather can affect the immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, skin, and joints.
She said cold, dry air and more time indoors can help viruses spread and may increase respiratory infections.
Cold can narrow blood vessels, raise the heart’s workload, and trigger breathing problems, particularly for people with existing conditions.
Winter conditions can aggravate eczema, Raynaud’s symptoms, joint pain and stiffness.
Agathou also offered practical advice to help people stay warm and healthy, though the article excerpt does not give that advice.
- Who
- Dr Claire Agathou, a co-founding GP at The Wellington Hospital's A–Z General Practice.
- What
- She described health effects of cold weather and offered advice on staying warm and healthy.
- When
- During autumn and the colder months. The article was published on 13 October 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- To explain how cold weather can affect health and how people can stay well.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
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- Expert
- Dr Claire Agathou
- Practice
- The Wellington Hospital's A–Z General Practice
- Health effects covered
- Five areas: immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, skin, and joints
- Publication date
- 13 October 2026
What people are saying
Viruses can survive and circulate more easily in the cold, dry air and we also spend more time indoors which increases close contact and transmission
Cold weather causes something called vasoconstriction, which is when the blood vessels narrow, especially in the hands, feet and skin
Cold, dry air can irritate the airways and trigger bronchospasm which is the sudden tightening of the airway muscles.
Winter conditions are a classic trigger of eczema
Sources
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