Battling against winter’s cold

Taylor Evans • January 22, 2014

Snow Day pic — The signs of hypothermia are shivering, shallow breathing, memory loss, slurred speech, and or weak pulse. The signs of frost bite are prickly or itchy sensations, red, white, or pale skin, numbness, hard or waxy looking skin, and cold, burning feelings. Both of these conditions can be prevented by wearing adequate clothing when out in the snow.

Winter is officially here, something that we all realized after two snow days and feeling what subzero temperatures feel like. While hats and gloves are the obvious way to keep warm, here are some more tips to stay warm during one of the coldest winters many of us may ever experience.

Wear a warm hat and thick socks. As humans, we lose most of our heat through our head and feet. Also, bundle up with layers of clothing such as woolen sweaters and fleece which will help you retain warmth.
Keep yourself warm at night. This could be as simple as sleeping with more blankets, or even putting a hot water bottle under your blankets. Water holds heat for a long time, making hot water bottles an affordable and effective way to keep warm.
Avoid wearing cotton when playing outside. Cotton is a material that traps moisture, and by convection, the cold air and the moisture work together to replace your body heat with cold energy.
Drink liquids. When temperatures fall below freezing the air will draw lots of moisture out of you, and when you are dehydrated it is harder for your body to retain heat and keep you warm.
Eat warm foods. Things such as soup, tea, and hot chocolate are great and easy ways to warm your insides up immediately.

These are only a few ways to keep warm as we head deeper into the winter season. If nothing else, just remember that if you are playing in the snow or just out in the elements, hypothermia and frost bite are very dangerous conditions.

They are much easier to get when temperatures drop below freezing. However, enjoy these winter months and the snow that will hopefully accumulate, and bundle up.

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About the Contributor

Taylor Evans, Staff Writer

My name is Taylor Evans and I am a senior this year. Four years later, I once again find myself on the amazing staff of The Leaf as an associate editor and cover story editor. I am so excited to return for my fourth and final year on The Leaf, and I can’t wait for what this year will bring. In my spare time my main hobby is to write, specifically fiction. Over the last six years, I’ve also been working on a young-adult fiction novel, "The Unknown," that has finally been published. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, and when I’m not reading I’m playing volleyball. And when all that isn’t enough, I turn to baking, which is a stress reliever- plus, who doesn’t like munching on cookies every once in a while?