Did you also wake up with a mild cold? A sneeze, blocked nose and a sore throat. It is worse because you had just shaken off the miserable cold and your energy was finally coming back and then now again you are sneezing. So, now the question is, could you really get the same cold twice, or is it just your bad luck?As per the National Health Service, UK (NHS), adults could get an average of 2 to 4 colds a year. The NHS, UK notes that the viruses behind them behave in a complicated way. This is because some mutate quickly, and some stay in your system. This is why your body's ability to fight them off can differ depending on how well does your immune respond. Catching The Same Cold, TwiceConventionally, it is believed that once you have a virus, your body recognizes it and does not let you catch the same virus again. However, this is not the case, always.Professor Brain Ferguson, who is the professor of viral immunity at the University of Cambridge told Yahoo UK, that it is possible to catch cold twice. This is due to the levels of antibodies that we have in our system. Ferguson says, "It depends on the quality of the antibodies that your body generates when you get infected the first time. Sometimes your body might make really good ones, and that will stop you being reinfected with the same virus later. But another person might not, and they can catch the same virus, exactly the same one, again later."The expert further added, "It is also down to the actual molecules, and the constituents of the virus, like proteins and things you make antibodies against. The longer they exist in your body, the better the antibody response tends to be."This means that the cold can stay in your system, and the longer it stays the better your immune system will be prepared to build up a stronger defense. Reinfection Time: How Long Does It Take?If you had two colds very close together, you may not have had enough time to build immune response the first time. Ferguson says, "Reinfection can be very fast." "It can be as soon as a couple of weeks if the antibody response is very weak... You might pick up a virus and get a few minor symptoms, but fight it off really quickly. In that case, you get much weaker antibodies that fight the virus, which means the same virus appears in your system again very quickly."This means your body only has a "fleeting encounter" with the virus and thus it won't remember it well enough to protect you the next time. However, a more severe cold may trigger a stronger immune response, which can work as a longer-lasting protection. Why Some People Catch More Often?This has something to do with genetics. This is because of their immune system, how good it works against different infections. As Ferguson says, "Some people are just naturally better or worse at fighting off viruses or bacteria due to their genetic makeup."While it is believed that multivitamins and supplements can help "boost" immunity, Ferguson says that the evidence is mixed. There’s not a great evidence base for [vitamins] for repeat infections," he says. However, Ferguson adds there is evidence that people who spend more time outside and get more vitamin D tend to have a slightly better-functioning immune system.
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