Why Do We Get Sick More Often In The Winter?

As my grandpa used to say, “Put your jacket on, or you’re going to catch a cold!” Sound familiar?

Yes, I’m sure it does, but we all know we can get sick in warmer weather too. So why then are we more likely to get sick in winter? If you ask around your office, most people would say, “Your immune system is weaker (or your body can’t regulate itself, also known as homeostasis, and in this case referring to regulating our internal body temperature), therefore, you are more susceptible to a cold or possible influenza. This is a very common myth. However, the truth is the internal temperature no matter what the outside temperature is always the same except for when we are sick with a fever and our internal temperature rises. A fever is the body’s natural way to fight off infection.

That being said, while there are more scientific answers as to why our chances of getting sick during winter increase, the main reason is simple:--we are inside more often during the winter. Being closely huddled around desks and cubicles of coworkers in closed off buildings, inhaling and breathing contaminated air by those who are already sick and sneezing around you (60% of people come to work sick) dramatically increases the chances of you and your co-workers catching and spreading illnesses within the office.

Besides breathing in infected air, the other ways you may get sick are through touch points. Touch points are common or shared areas and high-traffic spaces used within the building that become breeding grounds for contamination. These items include, but are not limited to: doors, door handles, light switches, refrigerators, water coolers, coffee pots, microwaves, kitchen/break room, break room table tops, break room chairs, bathroom stall doors, and toilet flush handles.

In today’s working world, calling in sick is almost always out of the question, so it is even more imperative to make sure your commercial cleaning company is disinfecting these touch points on a regular basis to help prevent the further spread of illness, employee absence, and the reduction of overall company production.

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