People react differently to low temperatures: thin people lose heat faster than full ones; the elderly are less tolerant of cold than the young; women freeze faster than men. Experts, referring to research data, say that sensitivity to cold really depends on gender, age, …
Why women freeze faster than men – study
People react differently to low temperatures: thin people lose heat faster than full ones; the elderly are less tolerant of cold than the young; women freeze faster than men. Experts, referring to research data, say that sensitivity to cold really depends on gender, age, physique, nutrition, and explain the mechanism of reaction to low temperature.
The essence of the mechanism is as follows: when the temperature drops, receptors in the skin capture the change from warm to cold and send signals to the hypothalamus.
Our body temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius, and it strives to maintain it. “If the air temperature drops below 15 degrees, a protective mechanism kicks in,” says Herbert Lölgen, honorary president of the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention (DGSP). “In order not to lose too much heat, the skin’s blood vessels constrict. The blood flow is redistributed to the vital organs – in the middle of the body. That is why the coldness will be especially felt on the hands, feet, ears or lips in the first place.
Thus, vasoconstriction at the periphery of the body (so that warm blood returns from the limbs and skin back to the heart) is the first response of the hypothalamus to an external decrease in temperature.
His second answer is trembling in the muscles. When we tremble, our muscles tense up. This movement generates heat. But why else do goosebumps run from the cold and hairs rise on the skin? The hair bag is attached to a small muscle. With a little bit of tension, a muscle that you can't see pulls the hair up, Lölgen says. The hair partially comes out of the bag, the skin around it is deformed, forming a tubercle. These pimples create a feeling of goosebumps when it is cold or when we are experiencing strong emotions.
The answer to the question why women freeze faster than men lies in the characteristics of the female body. Firstly, it has evolved so that women have much less muscle mass compared to men. Secondly, women have thinner skin, and how much heat is stored in the body depends on the thickness of the skin.
The mechanism of maintaining heat in the body also depends on subcutaneous fat. Adipose tissue is sort of a certain insulating layer, Lölgen says. People with more fat under their skin lose less heat because the fat acts as a thermal insulator. This is why thin people freeze faster than fat people.
Will alcohol help warm up? No, experts answer: mulled wine and other strong drinks, on the contrary, cool the body. Alcohol expands blood vessels and, thus, promotes blood circulation. At first, indeed, a feeling of heat appears, but it lasts for a short while. Extended vessels give heat, which is rapidly released through the skin. This leads to even faster hypothermia. According to the German Federal Center for Sanitary Education (BZGA), approximately half of the bottle of wine will reduce the body temperature by half a degree. So, instead of alcohol, experts advise drinking hot tea. Ginger is especially recommended: it will provide the best blood flow to the internal organs, and hence the heat inside the body.