When we move into the winter, it is obvious that things change. Our lifestyles adjust, and our habits change. We go from wearing as little as possible to enjoy the heat to wrapping up warm and wearing double, even triple, layers. We also find that our bodies and our moods change drastically. What, though, has been observed? What kind of changes do you find that your body undergoes during the winter?
Your hands will shrink
This is obviously not permanent, but you will find that your hands are generally smaller during the summer. This happens because your hands recede due to the constriction of blood vessels. This keeps the heat locked in, meaning that during the summer you can often find that your hands are redder and more swollen looking. This simply comes from the heat being passed around the body more due to blood vessels being less restricted.
Your face will become rosier
We often associate rosy cheeks with those who have few winter refreshments too many. However, the winter brings out our rosy cheeks because your eyes and cheeks are under more pressure from the chill. This means that your body is moving different blood flow from various parts of the body – including your cheeks – to your heart and lungs to keep the warm and healthy during these colder months.
Your body uses more calories
This might seem strange as most of us assume our bodies would preserve calories for energy during the winter. However, studies have shown that our bodies get through more calorie burning during the winter than they would during the summer. This is a way to try and stay warm as opposed to keeping you from fatigue, though. Don’t rely on this for weight loss, though; the caloric increase in terms of burning is not going to be enough to make sure you start losing weight, unfortunately.
Your risk of heart attacks increases
Keep an eye on this one, as it is something to be very strict about. The winter naturally puts more stress on our bodies, which can increase the likelihood of a dangerous episode such as a heart attack. The increased pressure that you are dealing with during the winter can almost certainly lead to a heart attack if you are not careful about what is going on around you. The body needs the heart pumping strong during the winter to keep up your body heat – this can lead to more stress, and thus increased heart attack risks.