'Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. You ever found yourself thinking about a totally random health question? This happens to me all the time. I suddenly start thinking about this question, and I start going down these rabbit holes, and I wonder, am I the only one in the world who's thinking about it right now? Well, I can tell you the chances are you are not. Why do I say this? Because we're getting all these questions about these fascinating topics from people all over the world. And I love taking these real-life questions and then digging into it. Digging into the science, digging into the stories behind them. And that's why we created this podcast. Kyra is back with us. Who do we have first?

Hey Sanjay. So first up today, we have John from San Francisco and he wrote in his question and he said, I'm a total mosquito magnet. In a group of friends. I'm getting a dozen bites. My friends only one or two. I'm using mosquito repellent. It's only helping a little. What else can I do besides staying inside?

Okay, John, I feel your pain. I've been there too. I think I'm a mosquito magnet. Why are some people just more attractive to mosquitoes? Well, there are a few things that are within your control and there are few things that are not. Let me try and break it down. First of all, generally speaking, mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that we exhale. There are plenty of studies to show that when we're breathing out, especially if you're in large groups, that will be attractive to mosquitoes. Add in body heat, add in sweat, they seem to play a role as well. But look, we all breathe out carbon dioxide. So what else seems to matter? People who have higher levels of carboxylic acid on their skin. Think of that as your skin's natural moisturizer. They are more attractive to mosquitos. Here's one, your blood type. Maybe you know this, but people with type O blood, have been found to get bitten significantly more than those with type A or type B. Mosquitoes also prefer darker colors, particularly red, orange, black. Any clothing that you wear that sports those colors is likely to be more attractive to mosquitoes. It's also in part why mosquitoes are so attracted to human skin, the red and pink tones in it. This might be a buzzkill, but studies have found that alcohol, especially beer drinking, can make people more attractive to mosquitoes as well. So, if you're outside, breathing heavily, exhaling a lot of carbon dioxide, if you've been sweating, if you have a lot body heat, if your wearing darker colors, if have type O blood, and if you're drinking beer, you're probably going to be a mosquito magnet. Again, some of those things you can control, some you cannot. Look, I still think it's important to get outside and enjoy yourself as much possible. Which takes us to the next question about when is it best to go outside? I'll get into that right after the break.

Okay Kyra, who's next?

Okay, next up is Daniel from Massachusetts, and actually a bunch of listeners had this same question. Is there a better time of day to be outside if you're trying to avoid mosquitoes?

Daniel, the short answer is yes, there is a better time of day, but there's a bit of a nuance to this. In general, most mosquito species tend to be most active at dawn and dusk, which is why certain towns in certain parts of the country have even put in voluntary curfews asking people to end outdoor activities by 6 p.m. Why have they done this? Because in 2005, 2012, 2019, towns, for example, in Massachusetts and Connecticut, had outbreaks of eastern equine encephalitis, so they asked residents to curb outdoor activities at certain times of the day. Now, mosquitoes tend to avoid the sun, which is why you don't see as many of them out in the middle of the day. At those points, they seek out shaded areas. There are some mosquitoes known to bite during the day, the aedes aegypti mosquito. That is the one that can spread Zika and Dengue. These mosquitoes typically have preferred warmer climates, historically, but more recently they have started to reach into the northeast. It is important to recognize that the presence of daytime mosquitoes does not mean that you're necessarily spreading diseases like Zika and Dengue in your area. The culex mosquito, that's the one that spreads West Nile, they also bite primarily dusk to dawn. The mosquito that I was talking about earlier that spreads eastern equine encephalitis The cattail mosquito, active dusk to dawn, mostly in woodland areas. Now it is worth sort of telling you why mosquitoes bite in the first place. Female mosquitoes, the ones that bite and seek out blood for protein to lay eggs, are more aggressive when they are thirsty and have become dehydrated. Okay, there was this fascinating study from the University of Cincinnati found that female mosquitoes were biting more during times of dehydration and drought. To give you some context. Normally around 5 to 10 percent of female mosquitoes in a population will feed at any given time. But in a study that mimicked dry conditions limiting access to water, higher temperatures, dehydration in those situations prompted as many as 30 percent of the female mosquitoes to bite. So three to six times as many mosquitoes biting. Now this isn't to necessarily say that there should be more aggressive mosquitoes in the desert, for example, but rather when you have a drop in normal access to water or hydration, you may see overall mosquito biting go up. So Daniel, timing does matter, dusk and dawn is going to be the worst, but also look at what is happening in terms of the weather and the climate around you. Now, if you are a mosquito magnet, you may be wondering what is the most effective repellent out there. I'll walk you through that as well, right after the break.

Ok Kyra, I know that sound means another question has landed. Who do we have next?

All right, Sanjay, last question for today. This one's from Donna in Ohio, and she wants to know what is the best mosquito repellent, something that actually works, but is also safe.

'Okay, Donna, first of all, you do want to use EPA-approved insect repellents. This means products like DEET or Picaridin, both have been found to be effective. Both are good choices. There are some slight differences. DEET, you've probably heard of, it was developed in the late 1940s by the U.S. Army to protect soldiers. And it's been available to the public since the 1950s. So, it has a good long track record of being safe. But if you've ever put on DEET, you've probably noticed the strong odor, and also the warnings that DEET can damage plastic as well as certain fabrics. Picaridin, on the other hand, was approved more recently, 2005. It is odorless. It doesn't damage any materials. And both have been found to be safe and effective. Some studies have suggested that picaridine is as effective as DEET but should be used higher concentrations than DEET. Other studies have shown that, again, they're about the same regarding effectiveness. When you see the packaging and you see different percentages of these ingredients, the percentage is really alluding to not necessarily how effective it is, but the length of protection. There has been discussion whether one offers longer lasting protection than the others, but again, these studies are hard to do, they don't seem to be conclusive. The bottom line is that picaridin and DEET appear to be pretty similar overall. You have to sort of evaluate how long it's lasting for you and reapply as necessary. One thing I will point out is that if you get over 50% of DEET, you're really not getting any longer protection. I think part of the reason these numbers are confusing and a little hard to interpret is because there's a lot of factors at play here. The ambient temperature. When it gets hotter, the repellent will evaporate from your skin's surface more quickly. Your level of activity makes a difference. Your amount of perspiration makes a different. Have you been exposed to water? If you've rubbed it off, you get the idea. Point is, if you start to get bitten by mosquitoes again, then it's time to reapply. Make sure to read the labels, make sure you're doing it in safe amounts, and again, over 50% really doesn't seem to make a difference. Donna, also, a few other tips, make sure you apply your sunscreen first, don't use this stuff under clothes, and the CDC says if it's an EPA-registered chemical like these two, then it is safe for children and pregnant women. But again, I'll repeat this, read the labels.

'Mosquitoes were the topic of the day today. We got so many questions about this, hopefully I was able to answer the questions on your mind. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions. Your curiosity. Your stories, your voices, that's what brings this show to life. So keep the great questions coming. If there's something health related you've been wondering about, send it to us. We might answer it next week even. Record a voice memo, email it to asksanjay@cnn.com or give us a call 470-396-0832 and leave a message. Thanks for listening. I'll be back next Tuesday.