This year, due to global warming among other problems, the cold has been slow to arrive and we even thought it would not arrive so strong. But we were wrong, the cold has arrived and winter is once again a cold season.
This thermal sensation affects all living beings, even more so, if it reaches extreme cases, it can be a great health risk. Extreme cold can end up causing frostbite, as body tissues stop functioning.
The hypothalamus, our body thermometer.
Our body has different responses to low temperatures, but who decides how our body responds? It is decided by an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. It is a gland that functions as a thermometer for our body. Its objective is to maintain the central heat in our body, therefore, when it is cold the first parts of our body that suffer this drop in temperature are the feet and hands. The warm blood levels are maintained in the center and, therefore, the extremities do not have enough blood to be at a high temperature.
How does the human body respond to low temperatures?
Our body, as we have already mentioned, has different responses to low temperatures. Some of them are:
– Shivering: This is a defense mechanism in which our muscles contract and relax repeatedly. This makes our body temperature stay regulated and kept constant. The purpose of these spasms is to generate heat so that our body does not drop below 37 degrees.
– Resent joints and muscles: When it is cold we contract our body and tend to shrink. The cold makes the muscles contract, which causes stiffness and aches. In addition, if you have a joint problem, the cold increases the pain.
– Our body hair stands up: When we say that we have goose bumps because of the cold it’s because there is a release of adrenaline, which is secreted in cold situations. That is, it is a natural reaction that our body has when we are cold. We must take care of our skin so that the cold does not affect it too much.
– Increased cardiovascular activity: Cardiovascular diseases increase with the arrival of the cold and winter. The drop in temperature affects our cardiovascular activity, so we must be more careful if we have ever suffered from heart disease.
In conclusion, we must be careful with the cold and keep our body as warm as we can to avoid major problems. You can find all kinds of information in our blog articles.
