Health In Winter

Winter might be a season to enjoy the weather. It might provide the cozy of staying at home. It might give us an excuse for an excursion. But the chills of winter might derail our health…. Watch out!

Catching Cold!

There is a misconception that people catch cold during winter because of a decrease in their immunity levels. But researchers were showing some other causes for the increase of `common cold` cases during the winter. They point out that we tend to be indoors during the winter season, which would be the best occasion for the virus to travel from one person to other. The virus that’s trapped in the indoors would stay for longer hours when the doors are shut. Besides some virus that cause cold can survive better at lower temperatures. So… the best way to avoid cold is to let some fresh air into the house.

Heart Stroke:

A lot of things happen during winter that hampers the health of our heart. Cold weather is known to increase the production of certain proteins which can cause clots in the arteries. Arteries get tight due to the cold weather! Besides, our blood pressure too shots up during winter to cope up with the cold. So it’s better to consult the doctor without a fail, whenever we feel uncomfortable at heart. Getting exposed to extreme cold weathers and getting strained due to physical exercises might increase the risk of a stroke. People normally love to exercise in the cold weathers, as they don’t get exhausted. But people with a history of cardiovascular diseases should certainly avoid such harsh exercises.

Sad!

Have you ever felt sad or depressed during winter? Well you might be the victim of SAD- Seasonal Affective Disorder. Though the Doctors are not sure of its cause, most of them believe that SAD has something to do with lack of bright light during winter. Having enough artificial light in the working atmosphere might relive us from feeling low during the cold. But if we feel too depressed during the winter, that we are not able to carry our day to day activities… it’s better to consult a doctor! Spending time with near and dear along with a few minutes of meditation might be useful against a depressive mood.

Skin

Dry skin during the winter is a good potential for numerous skin products. Our skin gets dry during the cold due to less humidity. Further, the blood circulation also slows down a bit during the winter. As the blood circulation slows down, the nutrients supplied to the skin would also be hampered. These all would result from conditions like dry skin to irritating conditions like eczema. So it’s better to bath regularly either with cold or lukewarm water and of course with soap that contains enough moisturizers like glycerin. If you feel your skin to be dry even after such a bath, applying a moisturizing lotion can do the trick. Even a few drops of coconut oil when applied to the skin would prevent it from dryness.

- Nirjara.