Having the Night Wind Makes Lungs Wet, Myth or Fact?

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Since childhood, you may have been reminded often by parents to avoid cold air. Having a night wind, getting wind while riding a motorcycle, or exercising at night is often believed to be one of the causes of wet lungs. The wind that blows at night does feel cooler and piercing than the wind in the afternoon or evening. However, is it true that the night wind makes your lungs wet? Find out the answer below.

What is the wet lung disease?

Wet lungs are a condition or health disorder, not a disease. So, usually if you experience a wet lung, it means that there are certain diseases that cause the condition. In the medical world, wet lungs are known as pleural effusions.

Pleural effusion or wet lungs occur because there is excess fluid in the pelura. Pleura is the membrane that lines the chest wall. The chest cavity itself is "home" to your lungs. Thus, the pleural membrane is located between the lungs and the wall of the human chest cavity.

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Usually this membrane is a little runny so that the lungs in the chest cavity do not rub each other. However, the pleura can be "wet" or excess fluid if there are certain disorders. Some diseases or health problems that can cause wet lungs include the following:

  • Viral and bacterial infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis
  • Autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatism (rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Liver diseases such as cirrhosis
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Cardiac surgery complications
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Lung cancer or lymphoma
  • Kidney illness.

Symptoms and signs of wet lung

Sometimes cases of wet lung do not show any symptoms. Or symptoms that appear are symptoms of a disease that causes wet lungs. However, generally wet lungs can usually be seen from the following symptoms.

  • Difficulty breathing or gasping, especially when lying down
  • Chest pain like being stabbed
  • Cough is not phlegm
  • Fever
  • Hiccups that don't go away

Is it true that the night wind makes your lungs wet?

Many believe that if you often go out at night, you can get wet lungs. Especially if you are not wearing a pretty warm shirt. You might also believe that the night wind makes your lungs wet. In fact, wet lungs can only be caused by various diseases and conditions mentioned above. Getting wind at night can't overpower your lungs or pleura.

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However, some causes of wet lungs are viruses and bacteria, for example Streptococcus pneumoniae (the cause of pneumonia) or Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the cause of tuberculosis). Both of these infectious diseases are spread by air, eating utensils, and contact with people who have been infected. Anyone can contract these diseases, especially those with weak immune system. Air at night is more vulnerable to causing bacterial or viral infections. Not because there are more organisms that live at night, but because of your body's reaction to air and wind at night.

Effect of night winds on the respiratory system

Having a night wind affects your respiratory and immune systems. At night, the air temperature will drop by several degrees Celsius. The wind that blows feels drier and cooler at night. When inhaled through your nose or mouth, the air entering will make your nose and respiratory tract dry.

Usually your nose and respiratory tract are covered by a kind of mucus that functions to block the entry of various particles and organisms that threaten the body, such as viruses and bacteria. If it is runny enough, the mucus is capable of removing various particles out of the respiratory system.

However, cold air will trigger the production of excessive thick mucus. As a result, various viruses and bacteria actually get trapped and enter the lungs and cause various health problems, one of which is wet lung.

Night wind and endurance

Apart from affecting the production of mucus in the respiratory system, night winds also have a negative impact on your immune system. Because, when cold and dry air is inhaled through the nose, the blood vessels in the nose will narrow. As a result, the blood supply containing white blood cells decreases.

White blood cells are weapons of your immune system to fight various viruses and bacteria that cause disease. So, your body becomes more susceptible to being infected with viruses and bacteria. Especially if the virus and bacteria spread through the air and into the nose.

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How to prevent wet lungs

After knowing whether the night wind makes your lungs wet, you need to take preventative steps. When you are outdoors at night, make sure that you stay warm. Use a mask to ward off viruses, bacteria, and germs that cause disease.

You also should immediately go to a health facility if you experience symptoms of wet lung. The faster it is known, this condition will also be easier to handle.

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Having the Night Wind Makes Lungs Wet, Myth or Fact?
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