How Does Duluth/s Cold Weather Affect Your Body?

It's cold season, we are hearing about frostbite, wind-chill, and what the cold can do to our skin. What are cold season myths and what does your body say to you during this part of the year.

This is the season that wind chill temperatures in the Twin-Ports area will affect the human body and covering it up will help you to be safer. You can freeze your body much faster in the wind and cold weather than you can

You have frostbite when your body tissue freezes. The most frozen parts of the body are fingers, toes, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose. You will feel tingling and then numbness. It doesn't take but a few minutes to get frostbite. In fact, it's within 10 minutes with most of the weather we get in this area.

Hypothermia occurs when body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A lot of people report wanting to go to sleep as symptoms that your body is shutting down, so bottom line, don't go to sleep if you are cold. If you are feeling that cold or you come upon someone that is showing signs of hypothermia, you should start to warm up. Warm the body core first, NOT the body parts.

Get the person into dry clothing and wrap in a warm blanket covering the head and neck. Do not give the person alcohol, drugs, coffee, or any HOT beverage or food. WARM broth and food are better.+

.Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing. Trapped air between the layers will insulate you. You don't want to wear too much and sweat. That will make you lose your body temperature faster.

Wear a hat, because half of your body heat can be lost from your head. Cover your mouth to protect your lungs from extreme cold. Mittens, snug at the wrist, are better than gloves. Try to stay dry and out of the wind.

Myth: Not wearing a coat will make you sick. While you will get a cold, you need to avoid the virus. That is what gives you a cold or flu.Myth: You lose most of your heat from your head.. You do lose heat through your head, just not as much as most people think. You only lose 10% through your head. Unless you are sweating, then you lose more. Just make sure you have a hat appropriate for the weather and your head.Myth: You shouldn’t exercise outside when it’s cold. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), as long as you don't have any problems breathing in the cold or have a cold virus already, it's ok. There are a lot of people that exercise in the cold.

Myth: You don’t need sunglasses in the winter. Actually, you do. The snow is pretty white, add the sun on top of that. It's like the sun off of water is bad for your eyes too.

Myth: Cold weather makes you SAD. It's not the cold weather, it's the fact that the sun doesn't shine as much in the winder. The vitamin D you get from the sun (or lack of it) is why you become sad.

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