What effect does the cold weather have on your body?

Now I have received a somewhat unusual question from a reader in Singapore who has read some of my posts of dressing for the winter and she wanted to know what some of the effects are that cold weather can have on one's body. That's not something I think about - like, I like in London, it's about 4 degrees out there right now and it's cold because it is winter. I am just used to it I suppose but I have to cast my mind back to my first winter in Europe in 1997 and yes, there were some changes that did take me a while to get used to. I have managed to come up with a list. I hope that this will come it useful to my readers from hot countries who are headed somewhere cold this winter.

That's me in Austria earlier this year.

1. Sinuses & asthma

This could affect some people, but please, I must stress that everyone is affected differently by this. You may find that the cold air could trigger off either a runny or blocked nose. Those of you with asthma may find your symptoms more severe in the cold air. Allow me to quote the full explanation from Wikipedia:

Cold-induced rhinorrhea occurs due to a combination of thermodynamics and the body's natural reactions to cold weather stimuli. One of the purposes of nasal mucus is to warm inhaled air to body temperature as it enters the body. In order for this to happen, the nasal cavities must be constantly coated with liquid mucus. During cold, dry seasons, the mucus lining nasal passages tends to dry out, meaning that mucous membranes must work harder, producing more mucus to keep the cavity lined. As a result, the nasal cavity can fill up with mucus. At the same time, when air is exhaled, water vapor in breath condenses as the warm air meets the colder outside temperature near the nostrils. This causes an excess amount of water to build up inside nasal cavities. In these cases, the excess fluid usually spills out externally through the nostrils.

Cold air can affect your sinuses.

Solution: If you suffer from a severe blocked nose which prevents you from getting to sleep at night, you need to go to a pharmacy and get an inhaler-type decongestant (which you spray directly into your nostrils) for instant relief. As for any kind of asthma-related symptoms, you're best off seeking medical advice from your doctor if they are severe. Other than that, you simply need to make sure you have some tissues in your pocket so you can blow your nose.

Has this affected me? Yes it has. I find that I do get a runny nose sometimes as well as a blocked nose because of the cold weather. The blocked nose can be a pain if you're trying to get to sleep and you just can't sleep whilst breathing through your mouth - so I use an inhaler type decongestant available at any pharmacy.

That's me in Brussels earlier this year.

2. You'll need to go to the toilet more.

Now this does not affect everyone, but there are a few reasons why this could happen. Firstly, you simply do not sweat as much when it is very cold, so the liquid you take in has to come out somewhere else. Furthermore, some say that cold air does excite the nerve endings, so a small amount of urine will feel like more to the excited nerves in and around your bladder and the signal will be sent to the brain that it is time to visit the bathroom. The same thing happens to the nerves when you are nervous or excited. Another theory is that your body's internal organs contract deeper into your body to keep them warm. This causes increased pressure on the bladder, making you want to pee.

How true is all of this? I am not sure - but some people do genuinely believe that they do go to the toilet more often in the cold, whilst others are not affected at all. A lot o this depends of course on what you put into your body - so if you had a big bowl of soup, a smoothie and a coffee for lunch, then when goes in will need to come out regardless of the temperature! Everyone's body will react differently to the cold weather - so there's only one way to find out.

Solution: Plan your route, it is always a good idea to be aware of where the nearest public toilets are - the usual places where you can find a public toilet include fast food restaurants, shopping centers, big department stores and bus/train station. Make sure your clothing and undergarments are always toilet friendly!

Has this affected me? Not really, I think it depends really on whether or not I've had a lot to drink or not.

3. You will feel more hungry and crave snacks.

Now there's no medical science behind this - you naturally use up more energy keeping warm in the cold, so you will need to put more fuel into your body. This means that you may find yourself feeling hungry before you're due for the next meal. Again, this affects different people differently - so just listen to your body and react accordingly.

You may crave for a tea-time snack in the late afternoon.

Solution: Do just eat when you feel like it - but do choose healthier snacks to watch your figure! Have a hot drink as it does warm you up, but beware of sugar-laden drinks like hot chocolate or fancy Starbucks coffees (I swear their Eggnog Latte is horrifically sweet - avoid, avoid avoid!) which are not healthy - always go for something like green tea or just plain coffee/tea without sugar. The warmth from the hot drink will warm you up - you don't need to consume all that additional sugar. Winter is no excuse to consume excess amounts of unhealthy processed white sugar.

Has it affected me? A little I guess, I have this tea-time habit of a biscuit or some fruit with a cup of green tea around 5 pm. I would feel hungry by then and it is just the snack that gets me through before it is dinner time!

4. You may feel more tired at the end of the day, keeping warm takes more energy.

Once again, please note that this does not affect everyone. The cold air may make you feel more alert when you're out and about - it is like washing your face with cold water to wake yourself up, but some of you may feel more tired at the end of the day because just keeping warm takes more energy than normal.

Walking on a frozen lake in Reykjavik, Iceland

Solution: Have early nights - make sure you get sufficient rest. Know your limits.

Has it affected me? No, not really. I'm used to cold weather.

5. Your skin will feel more dry.

Cold air holds far less moisture than warm air - the relative humidity is lower. The cold, dry air will dry your skin out over time but do not panic. You're not going to shrivel up like a dried prune - it's nothing that a bit of moisturizer can't fix.

Solution: Moisturize! You don't need any special kind of moisturizer, any generic brand will do really. A little bit at the beginning and end of the day will be sufficient. I tend to slap it on after I bathe.

This is actually London earlier this year!

Has it affected me? A little I suppose. I just slap on a bit of moisturizer anyway as it is good for my skin.

6. Your lips will feel more dry.

Now cold, dry air will affects your lips far more than your skin. Some people have lips which are more susceptible than others - in severe cases, lips can crack and bleed if you do not attend to them.

Solution: Lip balm to the rescue - all you need to do is pop into any pharmacy or supermarket to get some lip balm. Most lip balm is designed to be handy and fit into any pocket, so you can carry it around if necessary. I tend not to bother carrying it around though, I would slap some on before I leave the house and usually that's sufficient for me.

Has it affected me? Yes, I use lip balm regularly. You only need a little.

7. You may discover that your skin reacts badly to wool.

This is not immediately obvious but some of you may find that your skin  does not react well to wool. Wool is a very popular choice of fabric in winter clothing because it is a great insulator. However, most people are used to wearing cotton and not wool - cotton is a lot more forgiving on the skin as a fabric. Wool can make some people itch quite badly, you can read more about it here. In essence, it is not an allergic reaction to wool per se, but rather, it is a combination of the diameter of the wool fibres and the yarn construction/finish of the wool.

Solution: The simplest solution is to place a layer of cotton between your skin and the wool, so that the wool does not come into direct contact with your skin at all. Always check the labels of your clothing to be aware of what fabric it is made of if you do find yourself itching. Different people react differently to wool, so just cross that bridge when you come to it - usually layering with cotton solves the problem, it is not a big deal, really.

Do you check the fabric of your clothing?

Has it affected me? Yes. I am very aware of fabrics and fashion anyway.

8. Your muscles will be more stiff and tense up in the cold.

Now this is nothing severe or serious, but your muscles will naturally tense up and feel more stiff in the cold. This is usually not severe to the point where it will impede any kind of normal activity like walking or climbing stairs, but if you are doing any kind of exercise (jogging, tennis, gym etc), then you need to be aware of this physical reaction especially if you have just come in from the cold. Listen to your body and take it easy if necessary.

Solution: Well... Nothing special really, when I go to the gym in the winter, I take a little longer time to warm up. I spend more time stretching and allow my body to physically warm up, for the muscles to relax a bit more before I do anything physically challenging in the gym. If you're doing outdoor activities like skiing/snowboarding or jogging in the cold, then obviously, you will need to dress appropriately and do a thorough warm up and stretch before you begin.

I always warm up before exercising in the cold!

Has it affected me? Yes, see solution above.

I am really struggling to find any more serious effects that cold weather will have on your body, so this list will have to end here. Remember, at the end of the day, millions and millions of people live in cities like Toronto, Moscow, Harbin and Helsinki where they live through freezing cold winter year after year. The residents in such cold places are very aware of the effects of cold weather and are very well prepared for it. As for myself, I am just so used to the British winter that I barely notice the effects on my body and the little things I have to do (lip balm, having decongestant medicine in the house, etc) just become routine, rather than an inconvenience.

A question I am often asked is this, "will I fall ill in the cold?" The simple answer is this: only if you do are not prepared for it. As long as you dress appropriately and take the necessary precautions, there is no reason why the cold weather will make you ill. You will only fall ill if you do something silly like venture out into the snow being inadequately dressed or if you get caught in the rain and spend the rest of the day in damp clothes. Apply a dose of common sense.

Life goes on during the winter months in cold cities!

 So there you go, that's it from me on this topic. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave a comment below! I love to hear from you and answer your questions. Many thanks for reading.