12 ways your body changes in winter to stay warm

Here's how your body protects itself with cold and wet weather.


If you have lived anywhere with cold, wetwintersYou have certainly noticed how the weather affects your body. These imprisonment temperatures can mean dry skin, itchy eyes anda mood bummer. It's not all wrong, however: without you even realizing that your body is working behind the scenes to make sure you are not too chick. Here are 12 key most amazing ways that your body changes in winter to keep you warm.

1
Your blood flow increases.

asian man outside in snow in winter clothing
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There are many things below the surface when cold weather strikes. Like outdoor temperatures drop, "the body increases blood flow to the skin," saysThomas L. Horowitz, Of the Presbyterian Medical Center of Cha Hollywood in Los Angeles. "It opens the blood vessels to bring warm blood to the cold areas."

2
And your blood pressure increases.

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Sorry if you are manifested, but everything is about blood. Lower temperatures cause your blood vessels are narrow, what theMAYO Clinic The points increase your blood pressure, because more pressure is needed to push the blood through your veins and arteries tightened.

3
Your cheeks get Rosy.

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The tightening of your blood vessels occurs because "your body tries to keep the warm blood close to the internal organs," saysSeth Newton, PhD, the founder ofPity. But after your blood vessels contract, they dilate - and it causes a reaction that you have probably noticed. "Your skin rushes with blood that can cause a pink hue on the skin, especially on your nose and cheeks," says Newton.

Interestingly, when you spend more time in cold weather, your body gets used to it and becomes more effective at cycling between the constriction of blood vessels and dilation. As a result, cold weather feels less severe. According to Newton, you need your body about four weeks to fit cold climates.

4
You feel a desire to urinate.

woman holding her pee

If you have already noticed that you have to pee when you are in the cold, it's not your imagination. Everything is connected, likeRick Curtis, Director of Princeton UniversityOutdoor Action Program, Explain. Your veins tighten, there is increased pressure in your blood, and the kidneys pull more fluid to reduce this pressure. In addition, Curtis says: "A complete bladder is a place of extra heat loss, so that urination will help conserve heat."

5
You start to shudder.

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If you have already beenreally Cold, you probably started to shiver. Horowitz explains that this happens for a good reason: the muscular activity of chills helps generate heat to keep you warm.

"The thrill is a rhythmic contraction of skeletal muscles"Snehalata Topgi, MD, a doctor withParadocs around the world, adds. "Think about it like your muscles doing sit-ups and creating a hot environment."

6
You get bumps.

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Take a look at your arm when you enter a cold room or feel a cool breeze on the outside, and you will probably notice goose bumps. Although they may seem funny, goose flesh was used to serve a very real goal, according to theNational Museum of Smithsonian Natural History. The muscles around our hair follicles contract because, for our ancestors much smaller, it meant additional protection against the weather. But for modern humans - that significantly fewer body hen flesh are really aesthetic.

7
You lose less hair.

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Although you may have heard that we lose more hair in winter that we do it in summer,It's actually a myth. In fact, a 2009 study of theZurich University Hospital shows that people really lose theless amount of hair in winter. This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view: we need more hair in winter to help keep our head warm, so we lose less.

8
You want some foods.

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Winter means shorter days and less time spent in sunlight. During these months, we can find ourselves in difficulty food with vitamins and minerals that can help withSeasonal emotional disorder-Sective, those full of B12 and zinc, saysLisa Richards, a nutritionist and the author ofThe candida regime. Do you find to reach more beef, poultry, eggs or fish? Your body may need B12. If you opt for red meat, nuts and beans, you may need zinc found in these foods.

9
Your metabolism increases.

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When we have cold, our body tends to accelerate our metabolism to deal with the stress of extreme temperatures. In a 2014 study of theNational health institutes(NIH), researchers had five young men live in a clinical research unit at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for four months. They have adjusted the temperatures in their private rooms every night, from 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the first month, to 66 to the second and third, then up to 81 years for the last month. After the second month, when the temperature fell first, the participants had an increase of 10% of the metabolic activity of fat.

"These alterations have returned near the base during the next month of the neutral temperature, then have been completely reversed during the last month of warm exposure," writesCarol Torgan, PhD, NIH-meaning The cold affects the metabolic rates of the subjects of the study, because of the changes of hormones such as leptin and adiponectin.

10
But you store more baby fat.

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Brunette fat, which you have probably heard called "baby fat", is a type of fat that uses energy to generate heat, explainsJames wants, MD, chief doctor atStuffed toy. Brunette fats "have long thought to no longer be present in large amounts among adults, but recent studies have shown that it was not correct," he notes. "We now know that adults have adipose brown tissues (fat) and respond to cold temperatures."

According to the same NIH study of 2014, after a month of exposure to the 66 degree room at night, participants had a 42% increase in the volume of brunettes. "The results suggest that humans can acclimatize the temperature cool by increasing brunette fat," Torgan's notes. "These changes can be damped or reversed after exposure to warmer temperatures."

11
Your thyroid works overtime.

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When your body is cold, your thyroid gland you commit and send signals to your organs to increase the work, says Topgi. According toNational health institutesIn situations where your body needs more energy when it freezes to the outside - the thyroid gland produces additional hormones.

12
Your posture worsens.

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Have you noticed more neck and stiffness pain in winter? Believe it or not, there is actually a correlation between these pain and the cold, as the team ofPhysiotherapy for women In Lockleys, South Australiato explain. Being cold actually causes your body to tighten - it's an attempt to conserve heat, but after a while, you start feeling the negative effects of bad posture. Oh, and remember these blood vessels? To do this, the muscles contract, which can also cause discomfort over time. Your body does its best, but winter is a real pain in the neck.


Categories: Health
Tags: wellness / winter
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