Are you sick more often than others? This could be the cause.

One person might already have a cold and a sore throat when the first autumn leaves fall, while another is never sick. Why do some people get sick more often than others?

The "r" is back in the month, and various cold viruses were doing the rounds. Many people know someone who's sick, or perhaps you're sick yourself. Coughing, a runny nose, a sore throat... While you prepare a healthy meal for yourself every day, your partner—who eats junk food several times a week—is never sick. And that might be true, because diet isn't the only factor that determines whether someone gets sick. The cold can also play a role.

"I think the biggest reason some people get colds more often than others is exposure," says Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of the pediatric infectious diseases division at UC Davis Health in California, in a HuffPost article. "Someone who frequently comes in contact with infected people is inherently going to get sick more often than someone who rarely comes around people who cough or sniffle."

In other words, it's not your "weak" or "strong" immune system that entirely determines whether you get sick, but how often you come into contact with viruses. "Everyone is at risk for a cold or a respiratory infection like the flu or COVID-19 ," emphasizes Dr. Tim Hendrix, chief medical officer of AdventHealth Centra Care in Florida. "But the biggest difference between people is their level of exposure."

Living with multiple people increases your risk of infection. "The most intense exposure occurs at home," Blumberg explains. "There you have prolonged, close contact with others." Think of sharing towels, touching the same surfaces, and spending a lot of time in the same room.

Families with young children are particularly affected. "We know that children catch cold viruses much more often at school," says Hendrix. And young children aren't yet proficient in hand hygiene or covering their mouths when coughing or sneezing. As a result, they spread viruses more quickly, and parents and caregivers easily pick them up. "That increases the risk of infection," says Blumberg.

Teachers in childcare and primary education are also at greater risk: they spend hours every day in rooms with sick or runny nosed children.

According to Blumberg, this changes as children grow older. "As children get older, they can still bring viruses home from school, but their hygiene improves and they have less physical contact with their parents. Therefore, the risk decreases." Adults without children at home are generally the least likely to get sick frequently.

Respiratory viruses spread primarily through droplets: the closer you are to someone who is coughing or sneezing, the greater the risk. Touch also plays a role: viruses can be transmitted via hands to the nose, mouth, or eyes.

Hendrix emphasizes the importance of hand hygiene. "Washing or disinfecting hands is still the most effective way to reduce virus transmission," he says. "It sounds simple, but it really works, especially during flu season."

He also points out the importance of a healthy lifestyle: "Your immune system is your greatest asset. The better it functions, the better your body can fight viral infections." Sufficient sleep is good for our immune system, as is a healthy diet, hydration, and avoiding overfatigue.