As the temperature drops day by day, people are bundling up in scarves, gloves, and multiple layers of coats to prevent their body temperature from dropping. When body temperature falls, not only does our immune system weaken, but our body’s function also declines. It’s staggering to think that for every 1-degree drop in body temperature, our body’s efficiency drops by 12%. So, how can we maintain our body temperature in the bitter cold? Let’s find out.
Teas that Warm the Body
Teas that can warm our bodies include ginger tea, cinnamon tea, and jujube tea. The gingerol in ginger raises body temperature and expels cold energy from the body. Cinnamon also increases blood flow and stimulates circulation, warming the body. Jujube is excellent for strengthening the body and is very beneficial for people with cold hands and feet and weak intestines.
Consuming Foods that Raise Body Temperature
To warm the body, consuming foods that raise body temperature can also help. To increase body temperature, it is good to eat fermented foods because they increase digestion and activate intestinal bacteria, raising the body’s temperature. How about trying various fermented foods like kimchi, salted seafood, doenjang (soybean paste), cheonggukjang (fast-fermented bean paste), various sauces, and natto?
Overeating Lowers Body Temperature
Did you know that overeating can lower body temperature? When you consume a lot of food, blood and energy are concentrated in the stomach to digest the large amount of food that has entered the body, reducing the blood that should go to other places like muscles and the brain, thereby lowering body temperature. Also, some people think that having a lot of fat in the body necessarily raises body temperature, but fat contains a lot of liquid components, so having more fat can lower body temperature.
Chew Food Slowly and Thoroughly
If you chew your food slowly and thoroughly, heat is generated in your head and face, raising your body temperature. It is good to chew food about 30 times per bite, and you should invest at least 20 minutes during mealtime. When eating salads you can add various nuts or use ingredients with a crunchy texture to make food, so you can chew a lot without realizing it.
Attach Heat Packs to the Abdomen Rather Than Hands
Many people carry heat packs in their hands to maintain body temperature, but attaching heat packs to the abdomen rather than the hands helps keep the body warm. When the abdomen is warm, the deep body temperature is also affected and rises warmly, so it is more effective. When using heat packs, make sure they are safety-certified products and attach them to clothes, not bare skin. Even if the temperature does not reach 212 degrees Fahrenheit, long-term exposure can cause low-temperature burns, so be careful.
Take a Warm Half-Bath After Going Out
When warm water directly touches the body, it stimulates our blood circulation and metabolism, raising our basal body temperature. For a half-bath, it is recommended to maintain it for more than 10 minutes in 100.4-104 degrees Fahrenheit water before going to sleep. You can also soak your feet in 104-107.6 degrees Fahrenheit water for 20-30 minutes to get the same effect as a half-bath.
Building Muscles
Over 40% of body heat is produced when muscles contract and relax repeatedly. Also, if muscles are lacking, blood may not spread to the periphery, which can cause poor body temperature regulation. The warm blood produced by the heart spreads throughout the body through muscle movement. Even in the elderly, experts say that building muscle can help maintain body temperature in winter.
Layer Thin Clothes When Going Out
When going out, layering thin clothes has an excellent thermal insulation effect and can minimize heat loss. To block the cold wind penetrating the clothes, thick underwear is more reliable than a coat. Although it can be cumbersome to put on and take off, you can see the thermal insulation effect. Masks and scarves are also indispensable cold-weather accessories.
Avoid Tight Clothes
Skinny jeans and other body-hugging shapewear or lace can interfere with blood circulation and increase the coldness in the body. Sometimes when you wear skinny jeans, your legs swell or your stomach feels uncomfortable, which is also due to poor blood circulation. Therefore, wearing loose and comfortable clothes rather than clothes that squeeze the body can be helpful.
Stretch Your Body
When you wake up in the morning, you can warm up your body with simple exercises. First, it is recommended to do the action of raising and lowering the toes about 20 times. Then, repeat the action of tightening and relaxing the legs about 10 times, and also do the action of tightening and relaxing the buttocks 10 times. These actions promote blood circulation and warm the body.
By. Shin Young Jeon
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