Whether you are lucky enough to live on 35th Street, or a little farther away in Brookdale, 36th Street, Schottenstein, or the Heights, we all have experienced the bitter winter cold. Besides for wearing a coat and all the necessary accessories, what else can you do to help your body maintain its internal homeostasis? Here are some useful and interesting tips that have been scientifically proven to warm you up in the winter:
Whether you are lucky enough to live on 35th Street, or a little farther away in Brookdale, 36th Street, Schottenstein, or the Heights, we all have experienced the bitter winter cold. Besides for wearing a coat and all the necessary accessories, what else can you do to help your body maintain its internal homeostasis? Here are some useful and interesting tips that have been scientifically proven to warm you up in the winter:1. Spend time in social environments with people that you care about. This may seem a little bit surprising (or, at the very least, random) but in reality, it’s been shown that spending time with others can make one feel physically warmer. In fact, the University of Toronto researched this phenomenon and concluded that being lonely actually makes one colder! Two studies were conducted to investigate this phenomenon. One study split up participants into two groups: One group was told to recall a time they had felt included, and the second group was told to recall a time they felt excluded. When later asked to estimate the temperature of the room, the group asked to recall a time they felt excluded reported estimating a lower room temperature than the other group. In a second study, a group of participants were made to feel excluded through a virtual ball game. These individuals wanted warmer food and drink after the game than the other participants. That being said, winter is the time to walk to school with a friend, and hang out with people during the day. Ironically, hibernating and hiding away from the cold alone will make you colder!
2. Start your meals with a bowl of soup. Firstly, the heat from the soup warms a person up internally and physically raises one’s body temperature. Starting a meal with a bowl of soup is also a great way to lose weight. Penn State University conducted a study in 2007, which found that people who start their meals with soup consume 20 percent less calories than people who don’t start their meals with soup. The best kind of soup to eat to accomplish both these goals is vegetable soup.
3. Consume portion-sized amounts of healthy fats. Nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados are very good foods to eat and keep one warm. Healthy fats are essential in helping the body maintain its temperature. It has actually been reported that people who are on diets that very much restrict their fat intake have reported feeling colder than a person not on this kind of diet.
4. Stay away from drinking alcohol. Alcohol decreases one’s body temperature and makes the body more vulnerable to hypothermia. Also, a very important homeostatic reaction to cold is prevented due to alcohol consumption: shivering. Shivering gets one’s blood moving, and burns bodily calories as heat and energy, making you feel warmer. One who drinks alcohol may feel temporarily warmer because his/her blood vessels open up more, a process known as vasodilation. This causes the blood vessels to send warm blood away from internal organs to the surface of the skin. However, in the long run, the real effect of alcohol is the body’s significant lack of ability to fight against the cold.
5. Eat a gingerbread cookie. Ginger is a root herb that is commonly believed to possess the ability to “get the blood flowing”. Even as an ingredient in food, ginger is reported to raise one’s internal body heat. Hot peppers and brown rice (a complex carb) have also been shown to make one warmer, because these foods are harder for the body to digest.
6. Wear white. Although it’s commonly thought that wearing black and darker colors can keep a person warmer, in reality wearing white is more effective. The color white functions as a reflector. White absorbs no color— it reflects all colors. So if one wears white, natural body heat can be trapped into the clothing. Contrastingly, darker colors are less likely to trap a person’s own body heat. [Disclaimer: This theory is not yet completely verified but it is scientific concept that is being studied.]
7. Give someone a hug. The body heat transferred through giving a hug can help your body warm up. Another advantage to giving someone a hug (besides for showing care or affection to the one you are hugging) is that oxytocin is released. This hormone reduces blood pressure and stress levels.
Hope these tips help you have a healthful and warm winter!