What effect does a cold have on the body?

When the human body is exposed to low temperature, cold receptors are excited and introduced into the thermoregulatory center, which will cause involuntary rhythmic contraction of skeletal muscle and muscle tightening of the whole body. The purpose of this is to convert mechanical energy into heat energy and relieve the cold. This is medically called "shivering produces heat". People will stamp their feet in the cold wind, which is also an instinctive reaction based on this principle.

Second, the end of the body is cold.

When the outside temperature is too low, the body will first tend to protect important parts, and more blood will flow to the center of the body to provide oxygen and nutrition for important organs. On the contrary, fingers, toes, ears and other peripheral parts will feel cold because of reduced blood flow.

Therefore, in a cold environment, try to wear earmuffs when going out, or cover your ears and nose with hats and scarves; Wear thick socks, warm shoes and gloves; Wearing warm clothes on the chest and back helps to evenly distribute blood flow, while ensuring blood supply in the peripheral parts of the body.

Old people, children and other weak people should pay special attention to keeping their limbs warm. Enter the warm room from the outside and rub your hands and ears to warm it up quickly. It is not advisable to apply it directly with hot water or hot objects.

Third, clean your nose.

Normal people secrete hundreds of milliliters of snot every day. They will follow the direction of nasal mucosa cilia movement, flow to the retronasal foramen, and then flow to the pharynx, and some of them will evaporate or dry up, so there will be no trouble of running nose at ordinary times.

However, when cold air enters the nasal cavity, the capillaries contract and the cilia movement is weakened, and there will be a phenomenon of clearing nose or nose. This is a self-protection reflex that the nose is sensitive to cold air.

Wearing a mask when going out in cold weather can reduce the chance of cold air entering the nasal cavity. In order to enhance the adaptability to the cold, you can wash your face with cold water once a day and wash your nose with warm salt water when you have a runny nose.

If there is a slight cold air, your nose will continue to run, and it will last for a long time and will not get better indoors. If it is suspected that it is caused by rhinitis, it is recommended to go to the hospital.

Fourth, the burden on the heart is aggravated.

In cold weather, in order to provide enough energy for the body, the heart rate will be accelerated, and the oxygen consumption and workload of the heart will also increase. At low temperature, the blood is thick and the circulation speed is slow, which further increases the burden on the heart. Once stimulated by cold, coronary artery tends to contract and spasm, and blood pressure rises. Patients with original cardiovascular diseases may have acute myocardial ischemia, induce angina pectoris and even myocardial infarction.

Fifth, shortness of breath

When the temperature is low, especially in the north, walking against the wind sometimes leads to asthma, cough, nausea and vomiting. This is because cold and dry air will dry the nose, stimulate the throat, contract the small trachea and produce respiratory stress reaction.

Therefore, when going out in winter, we should protect our oropharynx and try to breathe through our nose to avoid dry mouth and the invasion of cold air. Usually pay attention to hydration, not less than seven or eight cups a day, honey water has the effect of moistening dryness; Eat more lungs-moistening foods such as pears, tremella and lilies; You can use a humidifier at home to keep the humidity constant.

Sixth, joint stiffness

When it's cold, many people will feel sore muscles, stiff joints and aggravated arthritis pain. That's because too low temperature will lead to muscle contraction, reduced blood supply and synovial fluid secretion, and poor compliance of tissues around joints (including muscles and ligaments).

Therefore, when the temperature drops suddenly, you must add clothes to keep warm in time to avoid being outdoors for a long time. Climbing mountains and stairs will increase joint load, so try not to do it in winter. Be sure to warm up before exercise to avoid stiff limbs and injuries after strenuous exercise.

Pay attention to calcium supplementation, vitamins and protein in diet. And eat more milk, bean products, shrimp skin, kelp, walnuts and so on.

References:

People's Network-Physical Changes Caused by Cold