Is it true that sitting on cold surfaces is dangerous for health?

Parents often scare their children (especially girls) by the fact that if you sit on cold stones, steps or earth, you can “catch” the kidneys, earn cystitis or hemorrhoids. We decided to check if this is so.

Typically, such information is transmitted from mouth to mouth, from parents to children. But also in Internet on various forums and in social networks Can find A lot questions And discussionsWhy is it still harmful to sit on the cold and whether it is true. Even some Media. Moms on parental forums They ask each other if the child will receive cystitis if he sits on the floor. It is interesting that information about cystitis and tinted buds are very common in the CIS countries, while in the English -language segment of the Internet is more popular opinionthat sitting on cold surfaces can provoke haemorrhoids.

Kids in the human body Located On both sides of the back and protected by the lower part of the chest. If you sit or even lie on cold ground or stones, your kidneys are separated from this surface with several layers: skin, muscles, bones. Accordingly, in order for the cold to somehow influence this organ, their temperature must decrease. 

On average normal temperature Our body is 36.6 ° C, although it can vary depending on the characteristics of the body of a particular person, the method of measurement, age and some other factors. If the temperature drops below 35 ° C - this hypothermia (or hypothermia), and in this case, the kidneys can really suffer, like other organs. 

The hypothermia has quite obvious Symptoms: trembling, rapid heartbeat, reduction of coordination - so it will not work to freely freeze so that the kidneys feel it. In addition, usually hypothermia of the body occurs with prolonged stay in conditions of extremely low temperatures, and not at all with a short -term sitting on the cold surface. In addition, our body capable To a certain extent to cope with hypothermia: in contact with cold air or surface, blood vessels narrow and blood rushes to the internal organs, warming them.

Suppose you still managed to somehow “froze” the kidneys, without receiving a general hypothermia. In 1988, scientists conducted similar research On isolated kidneys of rats. On average normal temperature The bodies of these animals are about 37.1 ° C. Biologists studied the effect of both an increase (up to 41 ° C) and a decrease (up to 30 ° C) of the temperature of these organs to their work. It turned out that high temperatures are much more harmful to the kidneys, and when cooling, their function and structure have not changed.

What is popularly called the kidneys or their inflammation is most often Pyelonephritis or nephritis. The first is developing due to bacteria that fell into the urinary tract, and then "rose" into the kidneys. The second possible reasons are more - from heredity to HIV, but there is no exposure to low temperatures among them. 

WITH cystitis - Inflammation of the bladder - everything is in a similar way. Most often, it occurs due to the same bacteria (it is from the bladder that they can then get into the kidneys and lead to pyelonephritis). Less common Reasons - reaction to personal hygiene products that cause allergies, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, damage after surgery on the bladder or using a catheter. And not a word about low temperatures, since, like the kidneys, the bladder is protected by several layers of the tissues of our body and it is also quite difficult to “stand”. By the way, women, due to the features of the anatomical structure, are really more Vulnerable For cystitis - it is possible, therefore, parents urge not to sit on the cold mostly girls.

Often they are frightened by the fact that you can catch the appendages. The pain in the pelvic organs in women can be caused by various reasons - from endometriosis (Diseases, in which a fabric, similar to the mucous membrane of the uterus, begins to grow in ovaries or phallopium pipes) to tumors. So, if unpleasant sensations arise often, it is better not to write off everything on the sitting on the cold, but to see a doctor. If we talk about exactly about inflammation, then, as in previous cases, it is most often Caused Bacteria that live in the vagina (or entered there sexually), which fell into the reproductive organs located above. Specialists do not name the exposure to low temperatures among possible reasons. 

There are in scientific circles opinionthat the effects of low temperatures can reduce immunity, making the body more susceptible to infections and thus increasing the probability of the same cystitis or pyelonephritis, but it has not yet been confirmed by this hypothesis.

As for hemorrhoids, its relationship with sitting on stones or cold ground may seem more logical, because it really manifests itself on the surface of that part of the body, which, unlike the kidneys or appendages, is close to the cold source during the seat. Haemorrhoids - This is varicose veins in the lower part of the rectum. The most common cause This disease is frequent constipation and, as a result, strong muscle tension with attempts and prolonged sitting in the toilet. Also in risk group Pregnant women, those whose work is associated with weight lifting, elderly and some other groups of people.

German doctors in 2009 conducted study (carefully, there are many naturalistic illustrations here), during which they studied the possible causes that caused the disease. One of them was just a sitting on the cold. Researchers came to the conclusion that this factor does not affect the development of hemorrhoids. We were not able to find evidence that cold can lead to the occurrence of this disease, and in other studies. But doctors Recommend To use ice compresses suffering from hemorrhoids to facilitate unpleasant sensations. It is unlikely that they would do this if the cold was the cause of the disease.

Thus, sitting on stones or earth is not at all as scary as our parents scared us. There are no reliable academic studies confirming that you can “stand” the kidneys, bladder or appendage, sitting on cold surfaces - inflammation of all these organs is usually associated with infections. Some of these diseases may appear (or exacerbate, if they are chronic) after you sat on the stone, but “after” in this case does not mean “because of”. Most likely, they would have manifested themselves, but since they inspired us that sitting on cold surfaces leads to inflammation, we connect these two events. The situation is the same with hemorrhoids - it was not possible to find evidence that the cold leads to the appearance of this disease. At the same time, doctors recommend applying the ice to the place of inflammation of the ice to facilitate discomfort. 

Not true

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