Weather has been the number one topic for some weeks now. 8 degrees with a wind chill of -3, 4, and 5. We wake up cold and go to bed cold. We know that winter affects our mood and can be very dismal at times.

Yet there is one major internal affect it has on our body. Believe it or not, but your blood pressure will change with the season, especially during these cold months. Let’s face it, the body wasn’t designed to work well in cold weather. What is happening internally during these cold phases is that the body is naturally trying to maintain homeostasis/temperature.

In order to keep the body at an ideal temperature the blood vessels need to constrict so they are further away from the skin. Staying away from the skin prevents heat loss. There is actually a hormone called Angiotensin ll which will attach to receptors that notifies the blood vessels to constrict.

Angiotensin ll is a double bladed sword since it can cause high blood pressure, yet without it we would all be at risk for hypothermia since our body would radiate more heat through the blood vessels. With this biological effect everyone is at risk, yet individuals with heart disease and the elderly are at higher risk.

So what do you do to minimize this affect?

Well first you want to get checked to see if you have and if heart disease exists in your family. After that, everyone needs to make sure that they dress in layers minimizing exposure of the skin. Do some jumping jacks before heading out to shovel. This will at least prepare your body for work and decrease the likelihood of overexertion.

There are many stories of people collapsing from strokes and heart attacks because of overexertion. Well, now you know it’s not overexertion alone but also the cold. Don’t allow the cold to bring you down, stay warm!

-Phil