What to do if you have already left the house in the cold without taking care of your clothes? And even if you dressed correctly, still, after standing for half an hour at a bus stop, in the icy wind, everyone will become numb.
Let's say you're in a hopeless situation when you can't go to a warm place, and you're already pretty cold. Here are a few ways to help you get through these unpleasant moments without feeling like an unfortunate victim of circumstances.
It is clear that you need to dress warmly, not leave the house hungry and follow other instructions. If you don’t know what to take care of in advance in cold weather, you can read about it here. I will talk about the situation if you didn’t care about anything, dressed as usual and are already freezing at a bus stop, on the street or somewhere else. Even in the field, you never know what can happen.
Here are three interesting techniques that will help you warm up your stiff body and take your mind off the feeling of hopelessness.
Conversations
One study by Canadian scientists (University of Toronto) proved that talking helps reduce the feeling of cold. In addition, it is known that when you concentrate on a sensation, it becomes brighter and appears in its entirety.
Chatting will help you distract yourself from the sensation, not concentrate on it, that is, just forget about the cold for a while.
It’s good if you have a friend or acquaintance nearby, but if not, you can always call someone. Just don’t get carried away with the topic of cold weather, otherwise it will have the opposite effect.
Improved blood circulation
If a person is forced to spend a lot of time outside in cold weather and feels cold, he should warm up through movement. For example, you can rub one palm against the other or massage your cheeks and nose. These actions help improve blood circulation and warm up frozen areas of the body. In addition, it is recommended to place your hands in the sleeves or under the jacket. Then part of the warm air that formed under the clothes will move to these areas of the body. If a person feels cold, he should not sit still. It is recommended to make 30 to 50 rotational movements with your arms and stretch your legs. These actions also improve blood circulation in the muscles and give a feeling of warmth. If your nose is frozen, you can place your palm on it. Then the warm air that comes out of the nostrils will warm this part of the body. If two people find themselves outdoors in cold weather, it is recommended to cuddle together. This will help keep you warm.
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Visualization
If you don't have anyone to chat with or just don't feel like doing it, you can try visualization techniques. Imagine a flame that begins in your body and gradually grows, filling it with warmth. You can imagine warm energy of any color filling all parts of the body.
It has been proven that stress increases the feeling of cold, and when you are freezing for an hour without the opportunity to go to a warm place, stress increases exponentially. So, we need to get rid of it. You can relax this way: first, tense all the muscles of the body (those that you can tense), then suddenly relax. Repeat this several times and then start visualizing.
Concentrating on one part of the body while you fill it with heat/energy/flame improves blood circulation, so you have a good chance of staying warm in the end. You just need to do this with full dedication and concentration, turning off all other thoughts.
By the way, Tibetan monks living in the mountains, thanks to identifying themselves with fire, dry a wet sheet with their bodies while sitting in it in the cold. True, you can only dry sheets using the tummo technique. About it in the next paragraph.
Expert advice: how not to freeze at minus 30
It’s such a pity to lose the remaining few days of vacation!.. And I still want to go for a walk, and I’m afraid of freezing.
Photo: Oleg UKLADOV
The approaching Christmas frosts do not want to retreat from the capital. And with the start of the work week, whether you like it or not, you have to go outside. Together with experts, we figure out when it’s time to run home and what’s normal in the cold.
1. Feet are the first to get cold..
After all, blood circulation slows down in the cold and the blood simply does not have time to warm the feet. It is known that the soles contain many bioactive points associated with internal organs. When the legs become hypothermic, inflammation of the ENT organs and kidneys may begin. For stiletto lovers: high heels make your feet freeze faster, no matter how warm the top is. An ideal option for real cold weather are boots with tractor soles or felt boots, which have come back into fashion.
2. Put mittens on your hands. Double.
In case of any disadvantage, it is recommended to lubricate them with protective cream before going outside. Already at minus 10, even the warmest gloves are inferior to mittens: in gloves, the fingers do not share heat with each other. Therefore, now - only mittens.
Complications from hypothermia of the hands can include throat diseases, dermatitis, exacerbation of rheumatism and polyarthritis.
3. Red ears are a sign of sadness...
The first sign of freezing ears is severe redness. Aching pain appears, and then whitening of the edges of the ears. So don’t wear berets and baseball caps until the temperature rises above minus 5, for now – only hats with ear flaps.
Frostbitten ears - beware of otitis media and sinusitis.
4. Why do ears turn white?
On the face, the cheeks and the tip of the nose freeze most quickly - the skin is thinnest there. In the cold, moisture quickly evaporates from the skin, it becomes rougher and dries. In cold weather, cosmetologists do not recommend doing peelings in the salon or even using abrasive scrubs at home. Experts also advise following the “three creams” rule:
- in the morning, as soon as you wake up, apply moisturizer to your face,
- before going out into the air - protective. This advice would be good for men too.
- at night - nutritious.
5. Out with the baseball caps. Hello, earflaps!
Hair follicles react quickly to the cold - it is not uncommon for those who walk around without a hat to have their hair begin to deteriorate and fall out. And severe hypothermia of the head is fraught with serious consequences - inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, facial neuralgia, migraines, and can even lead to meningitis.
6. Sweater, scarf - beauty!
If you get a cold in the upper part of the body, bronchitis and cervical myositis (inflammation of the muscles), intercostal neuralgia may begin first. The most dangerous complications are pneumonia and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). For those who had chickenpox in childhood, a cold reaction can “awaken” the herpes-zoster virus, which manifests itself in the form of shingles.
7. Let's fold the mini.
A severely cold lower part of the body can make itself felt in women - inflammation of the ovaries and cystitis, in men - inflammation of the prostate. And regardless of gender characteristics, kidney inflammation or an attack of radiculitis can occur. So, thermal underwear (tight-fitting T-shirts made of thin knitted microfiber and “bicycle shorts”) will help you. We put low-waisted jeans and short sweaters in the closet until it warms up.
IMPORTANT!
What to do if you are very cold
Under no circumstances should you immediately jump into a hot bath, warns first aid instructor for the Red Cross program Stanislav Manerov. It’s better to just change into dry, warm clothes, take off your shoes, put on woolen socks and drink hot tea or cocoa with milk. There is no need for coffee - it stimulates the nervous system and can cause a fever. You can indulge in a glass of cognac or Cahors later, when you have already warmed up, so as not to create unnecessary stress on your heart.
If a person has frostbite in some part of the body, there is local cooling of the skin; in no case should you try to scrub it with snow or pour hot water on it. This will only make the condition worse. What needs to be done? We apply a dry bandage that insulates from external heat and warm from the inside - we give a sweet, warm drink - so that the temperature inside the body increases. This will save overcooled cells. After all, as soon as we begin to rub the frostbitten skin, small blood vessels simply begin to collapse.
How to dress and behave properly in severe frost?
The New Year began in our country with cold weather. Many people are already unaccustomed to such real winter weather, and meanwhile the frosts are getting worse.
01/11/2019 Gramadstva Aўtar: Green portal
This week brought real winter frosty weather to Belarus. The Ministry of Emergency Situations warns: in such weather you need to protect yourself from hypothermia and frostbite.
Simple rules that will help you avoid hypothermia and frostbite in severe frost:
• do not drink alcohol: alcohol intoxication causes greater heat loss, while causing the illusion of comfort;
• do not smoke in the cold: smoking reduces peripheral blood circulation, which makes the limbs more vulnerable;
• Wear loose clothing: this promotes normal blood circulation. Dress like a cabbage, and between the layers of clothing there are always layers of air that perfectly retain heat. Outerwear must be waterproof;
• tight shoes, lack of insoles, damp socks - the basis for frostbite. Special attention should be paid to shoes for those whose feet often sweat. You need to put warm insoles in your boots, and instead of cotton socks, wear woolen ones - they absorb moisture;
• do not go out into the cold without mittens, a hat and a scarf. The best option is mittens made of water-repellent and windproof fabric with fur inside. The cheeks and chin should be protected with a scarf. In windy, cold weather, before going outside, lubricate exposed areas of the body with a special cream;
• in cold weather, avoid contact of bare skin with metal;
• do not wear metal (including gold, silver) jewelry – rings, earrings, etc. – in the cold. The metal cools much faster than the body, and it is possible to “stick” to the skin with pain and cold injuries. Rings on the fingers also impede normal blood circulation;
• do not allow the frostbitten area to freeze again: this will cause much more significant damage to the skin;
• do not remove shoes from frostbitten limbs in the cold: they will swell and you will not be able to put them on again;
• if your hands are frozen, try warming them under your arms;
• as soon as you feel hypothermia or freezing of your limbs, you need to go to any warm place as soon as possible - a store, cafe, entrance;
• if your car stalls far from a populated area or in an area unfamiliar to you, it is better to stay in the car, call for help by phone or wait until another car passes along the road;
• hide from the wind: the likelihood of frostbite in the wind is much higher;
• do not go out into the cold with wet hair after a shower.
Not recommended:
– rub frostbitten areas of the body with snow, because blood vessels are fragile and they can be damaged and infections can be introduced through micro-abrasions;
– warm the affected areas of the body under hot water, near a radiator or heater;
– an ineffective first aid option is rubbing oils, fats, rubbing alcohol into tissues for deep frostbite.
And some warming non-alcoholic drink recipes.
Sbiten
Sbiten is an ancient Slavic drink based on honey. In different regions, its preparation had its own characteristics, but the basis, in principle, remains unchanged.
Boil 150 g of honey in a glass of water, skimming off the foam. Dissolve granulated sugar in a glass of water and add honey infusion. Cook all this slowly for a while. Spices and herbs (dry crushed St. John's wort - 3 teaspoons, mint - 2 teaspoons, cinnamon - 1 teaspoon, ginger powder - 0.25 teaspoons, 2 branches of cloves, 6 black peppercorns) pour the remaining boiling water, cover and let for half an hour brew. Strain the spicy infusion and mix it with the honey liquid. Warm before use.
Non-alcoholic mulled wine
Peel and grate ginger (2-3 cm of rhizomes). Brew 250 ml of strong black tea with ginger, cinnamon and cloves and strain it. Cut the orange and lemon into circles and dip in 750 ml of grape juice. Heat the juice until almost boiling and mix it with tea.
Hot lemonade
Heat 800 ml of water to 70C, add 100 ml of lemon and raspberry syrup and 2-3 tablespoons of honey, mix everything and serve in glasses with a circle of lemon. And if instead of water and syrups you take a decoction of spruce needles with lemon and orange juice, you will get anti-cold lemonade.
Indian masala tea
This is a warming tea made from a mixture of spices with the addition of milk. There are many recipes for it, like sbitnya. Here is one possible option.
Grind ginger, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and clove flowers in a blender to powder, add water and bring to a boil. Add milk to taste, strong tea leaves, bring to a boil and let it brew a little.
