The winter seasons brings with it loads and loads of snow, frigid temperatures, unbearable cold, harsh driving conditions, excruciating diseases and tons of myths. The cold, dry air and limited sunshine seem to have adverse impact on the physical as well as mental health of us all and greatly affect our daily routines. It’s time to bust some winter myths folks! We bring to you some of the most famous myths and fictions that have become entrenched in our daily lives and it’s hard for us to refute them. While some myths do die hard, let’s sort them from the facts and try to bury the hatchet once and for all!

1 – You Need to Idle Your Car in the Cold

This myth comes from an era when the car engines relied on carburetors. Ever since they were replaced by electronic fuel injection, they came with sensors that injected the perfect mixture of air and fuel to cause the combustion event. According to experts, idling your car in the cold not only wastes fuel, but it’s also stripping oil from critical components that help your engine run, namely the cylinders and pistons. Hence, idling your car does not enhance your engine’s life. In fact, it shortens it!

2 – Going Outside with a Wet Head Makes You Sick

If you go out into the cold, cells that fight infection in the body increase! You can only become sick when you come into direct contact with a virus. This is only possible if you infect yourself with someone else’s secretions. This may happen when you touch someone who is already suffering from flu, cough or some other viral infection.

3 – 90% of Body’s Heat is Lost through the Head

They believe that you should always cover your head with a hat or a scarf. The face, head, and chest are the most sensitive to temperature changes. Researches reveal that when people catch cold due to no clothing, they lose only 10% of their body’s heat through their heads. Actually, the head is no more different than any part of the body in terms of heat loss as the heat is lost throughout the body proportionally.

4 – Vitamin C is the Savior When You Catch Cold

The common belief is that when you drink a glass of orange juice, it does a world of good to you when you’ve caught cold. As a matter of fact, the research is not able to produce any formidable evidence on whether Vitamin C cures cold or not. The truth, however, is that a balanced diet, full of requisite nutrients, can help bolster your immune system and fight the cold weather in winters.

5 – Drinking Alcohol Warms the Body Up

Drinking alcohol does more harm to your body’s mechanism to fight cold than any good whatsoever. It, in fact, makes the blood rush towards your rosy-red skin away from the internal organs, thereby producing a drop in your body’s internal temperature. Moreover, it also damages your body’s ability to shiver and produce heat of its own.