Cold and health: Effects on the body, danger, what to do?

The cold requires the body to make additional efforts.The heart beats faster to avoid cooling the body.Which can be risky for the most fragile such as the elderly, children and chronic patients.Reminder of the essential advice to follow in case of very cold.

What is the definition of a cold wave?

A cold wave is a lasting episode (at least 3 days) and geographically extended from cold, specifies Météo-France.For an episode to be identified at the national level, the national average temperature must descend at least one day under a certain threshold (-2 ° C).The cold wave includes the following events:

What are the effects of cold on the body?

Cold has direct effects on the body in terms of nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular and respiratory systems."The drop in temperature leads to vasoconstriction as well as an increase in cholesterol, fibrinogen and blood viscosity" recalls the Institute for health monitoring.There are also indirect effects: trauma according to falls or traffic accidents linked to ice or snow, carbon monoxide poisoning (first cause of acute intoxication in France) or burns related to'Use of defective heating means or under unsuitable conditions (especially in enclosed or unveiled places), and the physical difficulties of access to care.

How not to be cold in hands and feet?

The most exposed parts, the ends like the hands and the feet are particularly sensitive to the cold.However, they must be protected enough to avoid the formation of chappers, painful cracks that develop on areas long exposed to lively cold (less than 0 ° C) which dehydrates the skin.Devoid of water, it dries and tugs.Furrows are widening and the charts, even the (deeper) crevices appear.But this is not the only risk!The exposure of the ends at negative temperatures leads to vasoconstriction of the capillaries.This natural phenomenon of fighting cold can eventually cause the appearance of red lesions in terms of hands, feet but also ears or face, which is called frostbite.Often they are accompanied by itching.

Prevention :

Use gloves for household work and dishes.

In curative:

What diseases causes cold?

The cold drives in a direct chest crises in ischemic patients (stable angina), asthma attacks (due to the bronchoconstriction caused by the inhalation of cold air), frostbite or frostbite, of theHypothermia, raynaud syndromes and sickle cell crises.Laps of time between exposure to cold and the trigger of pathology is, for these pathologies, very short (a few minutes to a few hours).The pathologies favored by the cold are:

In winter, influenza, gastroenteritis, various colds and bronchiolitis also circulate more.Without forgetting that it is a period associated with an excess of stress linked to the end of year celebrations, of fatigue by the modification of the diet, of the drop in light...

Who are the most vulnerable to cold?

Some populations are more vulnerable to cold:

What to do to protect yourself from the cold?

Cold, but also the frozen wind and snow can be damaging to health and cause frostbite, hypothermia, asthma attacks, chest angina, etc..It is therefore necessary to redouble vigilance and adopt the following reflexes:

At home, have your heating system checked by a professional.Do not overload the wood stoves and the extra heaters, to avoid fires and poisoning with carbon carbon.It is recommended to proscribe the auxiliary heating using a fuel, for the same reasons.Maintain a sufficient temperature (19 ° C), including in the bedroom and close the unused parts.Do not clog the ventilation ducts.

​​​​​​What clothes to choose when it is cold?

If you go out in cold weather, it is essential to cover you enough to keep your body temperature constant constant.The most important is :

How to keep heat at home?

The equation is simple: too much heating = restless sleep.During the day and especially at night, do not overheat your interior (keep the temperature at a minimum of 19 ° C).Even if you are chilly, it is better to add duvets and blankets on your bed than to mount the radiators.The heat tends to slow blood circulation, which will have repercussions on your body.In particular, you risk sleeping less well.Furthermore, even if it is cold, the daily ventilation of your interior is essential to renew the air (20 minutes per day minimum).With winter, colds, flu and other winter infections are there.Airing helps fight against the proliferation of viruses and bacteria.

Can we play sports when it's very cold?

The cold requires additional efforts to our body and in particular to our hearts which beats faster to avoid cooling.So in periods of cold weather, it is better to limit physical efforts because it could worsen possible cardiovascular problems.The decrease in room temperature increases in particular the risk of myocardial infarction.According to a British study published in the British Medical Journal and conducted in 15 cities of England and the Wales Pays between 2003 and 2006, each degree of decrease in room temperature is associated with an increase in the risk of myocardial infarction in shortterm (2% over the next 28 days).The oldest and those already suffering from coronary disease being the most vulnerable to these temperature reductions.

Note that if your child is asthmatic, he must avoid sports exercises outside, particularly in case of unstable asthma, effort asthma or triggered by the cold.To avoid seizures and limit risks, make sure your child always has his treatment on him.

Sources:

National guide relating to the prevention and management of health and social impacts linked to cold waves.2018-2019

Cold and health.Institute for health monitoring,