You can’t get a sunburn on a cloudy day: Ultraviolet (UV) rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation that have a shorter wavelength than visible light, similar to microwaves and X-rays. The sun is the main source of UV rays on earth with more intensity being seen in Malta in the summer time. While clouds can block quite a lot of the visible spectrum, enough UV rays can get through to cause sunburn. To make things worse, if there’s a little breeze you may still feel cool so you wouldn’t even know until it’s too late. One surprising observation is a phenomenon that takes place when the sky is partially filled with clouds. The clouds seem to work as a funnel to actually increase the UV level in certain areas than it would be if the sky were completely clear.

You can catch a cold from air conditioning: Jumping from extremes in heat and cold can weaken the immune system. However, by and of themselves, air-conditioning units do not cause any harm as long as their filters are kept clean. This effect is very mild in that the mucus membrane of the nose, where virus infections can take hold, appears to be quite resilient to low humidity levels, which is what AC units cause.

Swimming on a full stomach will make you ill: Swimming after eating cannot increase your chances of getting sick but it can certainly cause cramps if the swim involves much more than standing in the water. If you are a regular swimmer, then having eaten a full meal probably won’t cause any harmful effects for an average swim round the pool.

Any drink will rehydrate you on a hot day: Soft drinks and ice cold beer feel like they’re hitting just the right spot when the full effect of the maltese summer hits but this simply isn’t the case.

In fact, drinks high in sugars or alcohol can increase a person’s dehydration. Water is still the best drink to bring along on those long beach visits.

For more amazing facts about medicine and keeping healthy, visit www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/