It Is Getting Cold Outside, Here Is A Few Ways to Keep Warm
Shivering
Shivering is a warning sign.
It starts when your temperature drops to low and it is the bodies way of telling you to warm yourself up as it wants to prevent your core temperature from dropping too low.
Did you know shivering is your bodies way of creating heat?
Tiny sensors in your skin send messages to your brain telling it you need to warm up. Your brain sends messages to nerves all through your body telling your muscles to tighten and loosen fast, this fast contracting and expanding generates heat.
To stop shivering add layers and eat. By consuming calories, your muscles can do these super-fast contractions and expansions.
It is important to know as your body starts to cool and get cold you will shiver and want to get warm if you ignore the shivering you could start to suffer from mild hypothermia. If you do not act and start to warm up at some point the shivering will stop because you have become too cold, seek help at once.
Layer up
Did you know that you lose body heat mainly through thermal conduction?
That is where our body heat passes from us into our clothes and then the air around us. To prevent these from happening, it is best to insulate yourself by layering up. Many thin layers are better than a few thick ones.
Ideal ways to do so include:
- Thick or woolly socks.
- Long underwear.
- External wind and waterproof layer
The best clothing includes ones where you can enclose yourself which insulates the effects of the cold temperatures outside and the wind which whisks away body heat.
Food and Drink
If you are consuming more calories than you are burning, then your body will be able to handle the cold much better. Being well-fed helps you to keep your blood sugar levels up enough to provide the energy that you need. Staying hydrated is also important as your body will be able to withstand the cold a lot better when it is well balanced and maintained.
Getting used to it
Did you know that people who spend a lot more time outside in the cold can reduce their ‘set point’? No one fully understands why this happens, but people often think that brown fat may play a role in this. Regular “white” body fat stores extra calories whereas the brown fat consume the calories and release them as heat energy. If people are physically fit, this also makes it a lot easier for them to cope with the cold weather.
If any of these tips have helped you to battle back against the cold, let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
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