“If not treated quickly, hypothermia can cause severe health problems, including death. Heart problems. Cold weather can increase your risk of a heart attack. When you’re outside in the cold, your heart works harder to keep you warm — leading to increased heart rate and blood pressure.”
Harvard Health Publishing (www.healthharvardeducation)
There are workers and people at home working around the house outside who are exposed to extreme cold or work in cold environments for a long period of time may be at risk of cold stress. Extreme cold weather is a dangerous situation that can bring on health emergencies in susceptible people, such as those without shelter, outdoor workers, and those who work in an area that is poorly insulated or without heat. What constitutes cold stress and its effects can vary across different areas of the country. In regions relatively unaccustomed to winter weather, near freezing temperatures are considered factors for “cold stress.” Whenever temperatures drop decidedly below normal and as wind speed increases, heat can more rapidly leave your body. These weather-related conditions may lead to serious health problems.
When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. A body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it is happening and will not be able to do anything about it.
The symptoms you see with this hypothermia (body exposed to freezing temperatures) are: SHIVERING, LOSS OF COORDINATION, FATIGUE, CONFUSION OR DISORIENTATION.
When the hypothermia gets severe the symptoms go to NO SHIVERING, BLUE SKIN (CYANOTIC), DILATED PUPILS, SLOWED PULSE AND BREATHING, AND LOSS OF CONCIOUSNESS.
Another problem secondary to cold weather is cold water immersion creates a specific condition known as immersion hypothermia. It develops much more quickly than standard hypothermia because water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than air. Typically people in temperate climates don’t consider themselves at risk from hypothermia in the water, but hypothermia can occur in any water temperature below 70°F. Survival times can be lengthened by wearing proper clothing (wool and synthetics and not cotton), using a personal flotation device (PFD, life vest, immersion suit, dry suit), and having a means of both signaling rescuers (strobe lights, personal locator beacon, whistles, flares, waterproof radio) and having a means of being retrieved from the water. Below you will find links with information about cold water survival and cold water rescue.
Another problem due to cold weather is frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in the affected areas. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage body tissues, and severe cases can lead to amputation. In extremely cold temperatures, the risk of frostbite is increased in workers with reduced blood circulation and among workers who are not dressed properly. Signs or symptoms of frostbite are reduced blood flow to hands and feet (fingers or toes can freeze), Reduced blood flow to hands and feet (fingers or toes can freeze, numbness, tingling or stinging, aching, pale to blue and even waxy skin.
Another problem from long exposure to cold that can arise is trench foot, also known as immersion foot, is an injury of the feet resulting from prolonged exposure to wet and cold conditions. Trench foot can occur at temperatures as high as 60 degrees F if the feet are constantly wet. Injury occurs because wet feet lose heat 25-times faster than dry feet. Therefore, to prevent heat loss, the body constricts blood vessels to shut down circulation in the feet. Skin tissue begins to die because of lack of oxygen and nutrients and due to the buildup of toxic products.
Symptoms of trench foot include: Reddening of the skin, Numbness, Leg cramps, Swelling, Tingling pain, Blisters or ulcers, Bleeding under the skin, and Gangrene (the foot may turn dark purple, blue, or gray).
Ideas to try to prevent long exposure to cold problems from happening are:
Monitor your physical condition whenever you go outside in the cold and prepare properly for that weather.
“Most of the time there are no obvious symptoms. Certain physical traits and lifestyle choices can put you at a greater risk for high blood pressure. When left untreated, the damage that high blood pressure does to your circulatory system is a significant contributing factor to heart attack, stroke and other health threats.”
American Heart Association
“Hearing loss that occurs gradually as you age (presbycusis) is common. About 25 percent of people in the United States between the ages of 55 and 64 have some degree of hearing loss. For those older than 65, the number of people with some hearing loss is almost 1 in 2.”
MAYO CLINIC
“In the U.S., 15 percent of adults over the age of 18, or 37.5 million people, report having trouble hearing.”
simply good hearing (hear.com)
“As chillier weather sets in across the country, certain illnesses rise to their peak and spread throughout schools and workplaces.Due to the evolution from hot to milder air and the piling of children back into schools, a mess of germs sparks the start of a new season of illnesses that sweep through every corner of the country. When the weather turns sharper with icy temperatures, colder air and darker skies in the winter, the threat of catching certain widespread illnesses turns greater.“
Accuweather
Deal with weather ailments.
Learn from this week if you haven’t yet in the North East that this season is not over and to many feeling like their in the North Pole finally ends in about a month or less but this winter has worsened or increased illnesses due to the freezing cold temperatures we have had than into lovely weather back to freezing cold and still do. Some health problems have been enhanced by the freezing temperatures like the common cold with even adding a sore throat trickling on to an attack of asthma Well here’s how to help your body deal with the cold weather ailments.
“It’s your own immune response that makes you feel ill,” says Professor Ron Eccles of the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff, where experts have researched the common cold for more than 20 years.
When you get a cold, the virus attacks the nose and the back of the throat, and it doesn’t take long for the body’s natural defences to start to work.
“The immune system detects the virus and floods the area with white blood cells and chemical messengers, and these trigger various symptoms such as headaches and a blocked nose.”
“Women have more colds than men, and this is probably due to increased interaction with children,” says Professor Eccles of the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff . Children get around seven to ten colds a year, compared with two to three for adults. So people who spend a lot of time with children, such as childminders, nursery teachers or school teachers, are more likely to pick up the viruses.
“During a cold, the lining of your nose is the battlefront,” says Professor Eccles. When your nose feels blocked, it isn’t because it’s full of mucus, but because the blood vessels in your nose are inflamed.
The nasal lining is made from erectile tissue (similar to the tissue in the sexual organs). When you have a cold, the blood vessels swell up as infection-fighting white blood cells flood to the area. This narrows the air passage in your nose and restricts the airflow as you breathe.
A decongestant spray can reduce the swelling and allow you to breathe more easily.
The cold is not unusual if a sore throat comes along with it also. They are common in winter and are almost always caused by viral infections. There’s some evidence that changes in temperature, such as going from a warm, centrally heated room to the icy outdoors, can also affect the throat.
Cold air is a major trigger of asthma symptoms such as wheezing and shortness of breath. People with asthma should be especially careful in winter. Key steps in helping prevent the asthma attack to occur:
Continue to be careful in this winter weather and stay healthy at your optimal level. in dealing with this freezing cold.
“Getting sick is a part of everyday life, and being on the road doesn’t exempt you from that fact, especially when travel itself it exposes you to a whole new range of bugs, parasites, and environments. The fact of the matter is the longer you are traveling, the more likely you are to pick up a bug or two.The key to minimizing the chances of this, however, is to actively combat the risk factors of becoming sick in the first place. HANDWASHING is the first key. I know this sounds basic, but it is surprising how many people forget it.”.
Columbia Presbyterian
“”Although seasonal weight gain varies from person to person, there have been surveys that show an average of a five to seven pound gain in weight in winter,” says Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, founder and director of the Johns Hopkins. Setting a regular fitness schedule is the key to keeping weight off in winter,” says Lisa Giannetto, MD, an assistant clinical professor in the Diet and Fitness Center at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.”
Web M.D.
2. Exercise more
When the outside temperature drops, it’s easy to give up on outdoor exercise. In winter, we stop doing calorie-burning outdoor activities like short walks and gardening. But reducing the amount of physical activity you do is one of the biggest contributors to winter weight gain.
Cold weather and shorter days don’t mean you have to abandon exercise completely. Instead, rearrange your schedule to fit in what you can. You don’t need formal exercise to burn calories.kjsd xcvbnm mhg4321`
A brisk walk can be revitalising after being indoors with the central heating on, and it’ll also help boost your circulation. Put on some warm clothes and jog around the neighbourhood or start a snowball fight with the kids. Most leisure centres have heated swimming pools and indoor tennis and badminton courts. If you’d rather stay at home, buy some dance or workout DVDs, and always walk up the stairs at work rather than using the lift. These little things can make all the difference when it comes to avoiding weight gain in the winter.
3. Drink smart
It’s important to consume hot drinks throughout winter as it will help you keep warm. However, some hot beverages are high in calories. Milky, syrupy coffee shop drinks and hot chocolate with whipped cream can add a lot of calories to your diet. A Starbucks medium caffe mocha, for instance, contains more than 360 calories. Stick to regular coffee or tea, or ask for your drink to be “skinny” (made with skimmed milk). Also, LIMIT your alcohol intake as much as possible.
4. Get your winter greens
Eating a wide variety of foods ensures you get a range of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Don’t get stuck eating the same food every day.
Look out for root vegetables, such as swedes, parsnips and turnips, and winter veggies such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and artichokes. They’re filling as well as nutritious so will help you to resist a second helping of trifle.
Ways you can create a winter wellness plan that works for you:
Follow these tips to keep you, your family and those around you warm and well in extremely cold weather.
Is ice and snow on the way?
To keep warm and well during spells of cold weather:
Keep your bedroom and main living room at 18 and 21°C (65 and 70°F) respectively. If you can’t heat all the rooms you use, heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before you go to sleep. Another great way I find keeping the house warm is using a duraflame heater in a room which works in making the room warmer and keeps the gas bill down since its an electric heater that costs about 25 cents an hour to run as QVC stated in their presentation for this component and its true for me.
