by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy
Photo by Spencer Backman on Unsplash
Now that we’re all worried about paying our heating bills, it’s time to weigh up the consequences. Does being too cold really matter? Although being too cold can have negative effects on health, can it also have benefits? What is the ideal room temperature?
Read on and find out more.
What happens when we live at different temperatures?
Most of us heat our homes to between 18°C and 21 °C. This seems to be a comfortable living temperature and is what is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). But take a look at how living above or below these temperatures can affect your health –
- Over 24°C – dangerous as this increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes
- 21-24°C – mildly uncomfortable
- 18-21°C – optimal temperature for living conditions
- 16-18°C – uncomfortable, and increases the risk of minor infections such as colds and flu
- 12-16°C – unpleasant, with an increased risk of respiratory conditions
- 9-12°C – dangerous, with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
- Under 9°C – very dangerous, with a high risk of hypothermia
For all these reasons, we are all recommended to live at a minimum temperature of 18°C.
What happens when we get too cold?
The cold affects all the systems in our bodies. Being cold effects –
- The chest – Mucus secretions thicken, coughs worsen, and breathlessness increases.
- The heart – The heart is working harder to keep you warm, increasing the risk of chest pain, abnormal heart rhythms, and breathing difficulties.
- Blood flow – Poor blood circulation leads to cold fingers and toes, with blue-looking fingers and toenails, pain, numbness, and tingling in your limbs.
- The muscles – These tend to seize up, causing aches and pains, with restricted movements, and weakness.
- The bladder – You may find you need to pee more often
- The skin – This may become dry, itchy, pale, swollen, or reddened.
Infections and injuries are more common in the cold –
- The chest – Being cold leads to flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and increases the risk of acute asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia.
- The heart – This increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- Blood flow – The cold can cause arterial spasm and an increased risk of acute Raynaud’s phenomenon.
- The muscles – Many musculoskeletal conditions worsen including neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tenosynovitis.
- The bladder – Urinary tract infections (UTIs) seem to be more common in cold weather.
- The skin – The cold induces attacks of urticaria (hives), psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis.
- Accidents – There is an increased risk of accidents and falls.
Winter deaths
The total number of deaths is always higher in the winter than in the summer and is mainly due to heart attacks, strokes, and pneumonia. Influenza makes a smaller contribution. One of the reasons thought to be behind this, is declining living standards related to poverty, poor housing, and how this has a significant negative effect on health.
Social effects of being cold
- Poor mental health – stress, depression, and anxiety are more likely as a result of staying in in the cold, feeling too cold to join in activities, increasing loneliness, and worrying about debt and energy bills.
- Education – this can be negatively affected if it’s too cold to concentrate, study and do homework. In due course, this affects employment prospects.
- Reduced personal hygiene – as it is too cold to shower or bath, and too expensive to heat the water.
- Reduced nutrition – as it is too expensive to use energy to cook hot food.
Who is more at risk from being cold?
Older people are more at risk from being too cold as their bodies don’t respond to the cold as well as younger people. They are more easily affected by the cold and more susceptible to hypothermia.
Babies are also more at risk of being cold, as they have a larger surface area compared to their body weight. This means they lose heat more quickly.
Health benefits of living at cooler temperatures
On the other hand, for those amongst us who are in good health, and have not yet reached retirement, turning down the heating one or two degrees may have health benefits.
Here’s a list of health benefits from being cold –
- More sleep – Your body temperature drops when you go to sleep. Keeping your bedroom cool at night helps tell your body it’s time for sleep. Also, more of the sleep hormone melatonin is produced at cooler temperatures. Melatonin not only helps you sleep, but it also assists in the production of brown fat, which helps with weight loss and improves blood sugar control.
- Loss of weight – Being cold does increase calorie expenditure. It induces both shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis. Shivering occurs as our muscles contract to release heat and warm us up. Non-shivering thermogenesis is the increase in the metabolic rate, over and above the basal metabolic rate, that occurs in brown fat cells.
In one study, participants slept for 3 months at lower than ambient temperatures. At the end of the study, they were found to have doubled their amount of brown fat and lost belly fat. Moreover, other studies have shown that sleeping the cold increases REM sleep, which uses up an extra 140 calories per night. Sleep experts recommend sleeping in a cool bedroom with the window open even in the winter.
- Inflammation – Rather like when you apply a cold compress to a painful joint to reduce pain and swelling, living at a colder temperature is thought to affect the body in a similar way, to suppress inflammation. Some will notice their joint pain and swelling actually improves when the weather is colder.
- Brain function – Contrary to what you might think some studies have shown the brain functions better in the cold. In a study carried out in the Arctic regions of Norway, participants were shown to have better reaction time and enhanced mental control. The authors suggested that the human brain is sprightlier in the cold.
- Social benefits – We tend to make fewer phone calls in the winter, but these calls last longer, suggesting we are more interested in connecting and re-establishing our social ties. Exposure to cooler temperatures is also thought to stimulate creativity.
Final thoughts
The WHO suggests an ambient temperature of 18°C. Living at colder temperatures below this is not pleasant. Plus, it can have serious consequences, particularly for older people. But did you know, that for each one degree you turn down the heating, you save 1-3% of your energy bill?
If you are fit and healthy, and not especially at risk, turning down the thermostat one or two degrees, and putting on an extra jumper, just might have health benefits! It’s certainly food for thought.
- Is it time you made some changes to the ambient temperature of your home?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..