Northwestern University Newsfeed

December 11, 2006

ROBERTSON: Unfortunately, fingers, toes , ears, nose…anything that's somewhat distant from your circulation can have its temperature drop pretty quickly especially if there's a stiff breeze blowing in the context of very cold weather. So, people definitely need to make sure that those parts of their body are covered and that they're very well hydrated. If you're not well hydrated then your body's ability to circulate blood to those areas is compromised. So if you've ever worried about not drinking enough fluids, it's best to especially make sure you're doing it in cold weather even though you might not be real thirsty.

Robertson says the commonly held conception that drinking alcohol is a way to warm up is a misnomer…

ROBERTSON: Actually, what alcohol does is it causes your blood vessels to dilate and get larger and so there is a temporary sense of warmth that comes along with that. But, when your blood vessels, especially in those cold exposed extremities , dilate, then your body sheds heat much faster and whatever short-term benefit you think you're getting from alcohol it's more than offset by the rate at which your body is going to have its temperature drop.

Robertson says the bitterly cold weather increases the risk of the common cold…

ROBERTSON: We're huddled together inside for warmth during this time of the year, and that's unfortunately a much better set of circumstances to share whatever germs we have with those nearest to us…so that's an initial concern. Secondarily, because the humidity is so low at this time of the year, it really dries out the mucus membranes and makes them a bit more susceptible to the kinds of viruses that are out there and they can penetrate a little easier and as a consequence it's easier to get colds and other viral illnesses during this time of the year.

Robertson says it's vitally important to continue exercise routines during the cold weather…

ROBERTSON: It's a tendency though the nights are long and they days are short that when you get home at the end of the day just sort of sitting down seems like what we naturally want to do. If you can fight that and get out and move around a little bit that makes a bit of a difference.