Cold weather is a beautiful and splendid condition that brings joy and excitement to everyone and causes trouble if we overenjoy it without a precaution. Here’s a fascinating detail about cold weather and its causes.
Cold temperatures - Get your cup of hot chocolate ready!
Cold is when there is low temperature. It has physiological stress on the body. It is a relatively low temperature compared with reference to the human body.
We need to understand that the term cold is subjective. What a person feels cold may not be as cold for someone else. Therefore, there is no exact definition to define cold weather.
Whereas a freezing temperature is when the water freezes. Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.
How cold is cold?
The question itself is subjective. Here one size fits all approach is not possible.
There are a few factors that cause cold weather. Cold is different in different parts of the world. The tilt in the earth’s surface4 causes the difference in the temperatures.
Cold weather in the polar regions is much cooler than the cold weather in the tropical regions.
What are the health effects of cold weather on the body?
When the weather gets too cold, it may pose a few threats to humans. Some of them are
1. Frostbite
Frostbite is a result of cold temperatures that damage various parts of the body, especially the ears, nose, fingers, and toes. The skin affected by frostbite looks white or gray. It feels waxy when touched. In some rare cases, frostbite makes the skin turn black.
2. Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition that occurs when the temperature of the body drops below 35 degrees Celsius. This is a condition where the body is losing more heat than it can make. Hypothermia can cause shivering, tiredness, confusion, and frequent urination.
If hypothermia is left untreated, it may even result in death.
3. Cardiovascular problems.
Cold weather can increase the risk of heart problems. This is because the heart needs to pump harder when a person is in cold. The heart pumps harder to keep oneself warm. This, in turn, will increase heart rate and blood pressure
This can cause heart attacks or other problems. Having pre-existing conditions makes it worse. If a person is not used to exercise, they may be at high risk of heart problems.
Some of the other problems include:
- Dry skin
- Whiteouts
- Slipping and falling down
- Increase in a sedentary lifestyle.
How to stay safe in cold weather? Isn't it getting warmer?
Some of the ways in which we can stay warm in cold climatic conditions are:
- Wearing layers of loose-fitting clothes, shoes, and gloves to protect from cold
- Covering mouth with a scarf
- Minding the steps and avoiding falling without balance
- Staying indoors
- Preparing oneself in advance
- Having hot meals
- Keeping oneself active indoors
- Keeping oneself hydrated with hot drinks.
Facts about Cold Weather
- The cold effect on body may include damage to the capillary beds (groups of small blood vessels) in the skin.
- The effects of cold on the human body include hypothermia, cardiovascular issues, blood clotting, infection, and skin conditions.
- Cold is good for health because it offers many benefits like Brain activity, Heart health, Sleep, Fat burn and Emotional health.
- The disadvantages of cold weather temperature Hypothermia, respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular illnesses, manual performance, risk of falls, carbon monoxide poisoning, crop failure, and injury to livestock and wildlife.
- Effects of cold weather on skin include dry skin, cracked lips, Rosacea flare-ups, seborrhoeic dermatitis, winter rash, and numbness.
- When you discuss the effects of cold on the human body, it is true that the heart, nervous system, and other organs cannot function well than before if the body temperature drops.
- Flu, Hypothermia, Bronchitis, COPD, Frostbite, Pneumonia, Strep throat, Arthritis, asthma, chest pain, cold urticaria, Raynaud phenomenon, and trench foot come under the illnesses caused by cold weather.
- The 6 stages of cold stress illness are fatigue, confusion, disorientation, excessive shivering, and coordination loss.
- Effects of winter on the environment include frozen soil, snowmelt, pollution, damage to wildlife, and winter recreation.
Effects of Cold Temperatures on the Brain
Let's discuss the effects of cold temperatures on the brain.
1. Cognitive impairment
Exposure to the cold could impair cognitive functions such as attention, memory, speed of processing, and executive function.
2. Hypothermia
- Exposure to cold temperatures could result in conditions like hypothermia. Hypothermia happens when your body's temperature drops abnormally low.
3. Malfunctioning of ion channel protein
Cold temperature exposure could result in the ion channel proteins malfunctioning, which could result in the neurons shutting down and neural activity shutting down in a few portions of the brain.
4. Increased appetite
Cold temperatures could cause the brain to increase appetite.
To sum up
Small climatic changes can have effects on a person’s health. Even though cold is a subjective topic, people living in certain parts of the world have difficulty coping with the climate.
Preparing oneself with adequate safety measures and making a few lifestyle changes may prevent them from having health issues.
FAQ
What cold temperature is dangerous for humans?
A body temperature less than 95°F (35°C) is taken as dangerously low and could result in a medical emergency called hypothermia.