How The Cold Affects Our Life

WE BURN UP MORE CALORIES . . .

Our bodies work harder in the cold. The heart pumps harder, teeth chatter and bodies shiver. Shivering for ten minutes can burn as many calories as an hour’s workout in the gym. Scientists believe shivering activates a substance in the body called ‘brown fat’, which, unlike the regular white fat, burns calories rapidly to generate heat.

. . . AND FEEL MUCH HUNGRIER

On a freezing day, most of us crave hot snacks (soups, stews and puddings). A study at the University of Georgia showed people get through 200 more calories a day once the nights draw in.

Many researchers believe it’s an instinct from our days as hunters and scavengers that makes us stockpile calories for the winter.

THE STARS SHINE BRIGHTER

There’s nothing better for stargazing than a clear, crisp winter night — as long as you’ve got a rug, hat and hot drink.

In the summer, when the air is warmer and more humid, light passing from stars to the Earth is buffeted and distorted by the atmosphere, making stars appear to twinkle more. But in the winter there is less atmospheric disturbance and stars seem clearer.

WOMEN WEAR MORE RED

Winter weather makes us pick warmer coloured clothes, according to a Canadian study which found women are more likely to wear red and pink in winter than in the summer, but only when they are ovulating.

Researchers suspect women are subconsciously choosing ‘seductive colours’ when they are at their most fertile.

In the summer there are other ways of dressing sexily — such as skimpy, revealing clothes — so colour is less important, the theory goes.

DANGERS OF TINGLY TOES

In cold weather blood vessels near the skin constrict, diverting blood to the centre of the body to reduce heat loss. That’s why fingers and toes get cold and numb.

One in five people suffer from painful Raynaud’s Phenomenon — a condition caused by blood vessels narrowing too much in response to cold.

HEARTS MUST WORK HARDER

A chill in the air raises your heart rate and blood pressure, forces your heart to work harder to stay warm and makes your blood stickier, raising the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Every fall of one degree celsius is associated with 200 extra people having a heart attack within the next month, according to the British Medical Journal.

OUR HEARING GETS DAMAGED

Regular exposure to cold and water over many years can trigger the growth of bone in the outer ear canal, causing infections and sometimes hearing loss.

The condition — known as surfer’s ear — afflicts surfers, sailers, swimmers, skiers and snowboarders.

Ear plugs are the easiest way to help prevent problems.

WE BECOME MORE DECISIVE

When it’s hot we struggle to make complex decisions, while cold weather helps us think straighter.

In laboratory experiments, people are better at spotting mistakes in written text in cool rooms and find it easier to select the best value mobile phone packages when temperatures are lower.

When we are too hot, our bodies divert energy from our brains into cooling us, making it harder for our brains to function.

Source:dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3448736/Why-cold-snap-make-man-f-f-frisky-bizarre-ways-lives-affected-freezing-weather.html#ixzz40S1hHgXB