One of the worst things about living on this planet, is the cold winter weather. Once the temperature dips below negative sub-zero climes, what it does is sends shivers down the spine. Yet mass numbers of people choose to live in these freezing locations. So the question is, how can we humans adjust to functioning in this cold.
What the body does is adapts, but there are a few peculiar ways it does so. Going out into the cold causes a shock to the system, even for those who are accustomed to living in the Northern hemisphere for months at a time. There are a variety of ways the body reacts.
8 – Look At Those Shiny Rosy Faces
Rosy cheeks may look cute on kids on holiday cards, but it doesn’t feel great once the nose gets red and runny, while the neck gets splotchy. This redness is a natural occurrence, for those who goes out in the cold. The cause is because of a reduction of blood flow to the surface of the skin.
The reason why the face gets flushed, this when going out in the cold, is because it’s a natural bodily function, where the cold chases away the blood. The blood vessels in the face dilates, and literally bursts after it narrows, which forces the blushing effect.
7 – The Cold Causes Moodiness
What’s known is that the “winter blues” is a very real condition, as energy and enthusiasm drops with the thermometer. This is primarily because of the lack of brilliant daylight hours, which leads to a lack of natural Vitamin D, that the body gets from the sun.
This is the reason for feeling melancholy, depressed, during the winter months. The clinical term for this is seasonal affective disorder or (SAD), which is now considered a mental health condition. The cure is getting more exercise, spending more time outside, and vitamin D supplements.
6 – The Need To Use The Bathroom More
When walking around in a winter wonderland when it’s cold outside, gives you the urge use the bathroom more often. It could be the excess coffee, but the clinical explanation is a term known as vasoconstriction, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels, which forces bodily fluid to concentrate in the core.
What happens is the brain takes this as a signal that the body is full of liquid, and it does it’s best to reduce it, this by urinating. This is why winter sports athletes such as skiers, will do their “business” right before hitting the slopes, and then are needing to go again a short time later once going outside.
5 – The Internal Body Goes Haywire
What the freezing weather outside does, is triggers certain mechanisms in the circulatory system. If it’s cold, what that does is causes the blood vessels to constrict, which in turn, the blood flow resistance increases.
The chain reaction is the body reduces blood flow to the skin, and the reason why fingers and toes become numb, and in extreme cases can cause frostbite. The idea is keeping the blood away from the surface, this to reduce heat loss. The more heat that the body can conserve, the more the body can keep its normal core temperature.
