Myths about winter you should be aware of !

Winter is here and everybody is trying to keep themselves warm. But we have some misconceptions about the winter.

1.   ALCOHOL keeps us warm!

It starts with our “Chashmish Naina’’ drinking alcohol with our “Udana chahta hu Daudna chahta hu Hero Bunny’. Even Naina drinks alcohol to keep warm on that mountain trek.You booze,you lose (heat).Alcohol when taken in even small quantity cause vasodilation- meaning our blood carrying vessels dilate. It leads to more blood to flow through the vessels of fingers and toes and our extremities making us feel warm. But this way our core body temperature decreases making us more cold in reality.

2. We lose more heat from our heads.

This notion was interpreted from the now infamous study in which volunteers visited the
arctic with their heads exposed.But they were outfitted in gear designed to only expose
their heads.So logically they will lose most of the heat through their heads only.This myth might not be true in the case of adults but it is true in the case of infants and under 5 children.They lose most of the heat through their head as the head constitutes large body surface area.So don’t forget to cover up heads of your infants and children in winters.

3.   No need of sunscreen.

Actually the opposite is true! Just because the sun doesn't seem as strong in the winter doesn't mean you aren't exposed to dangerous UV rays.UV rays are going to be the same as they were and  people try to stay warm by
walking in the sun and not wearing sunscreen can lead to more damage.

4.   Cold gives you Cold!

People generally fall more sick in winters. So there is a normal tendency to think that adequate protection from cold can save you from getting a cold.
But that is not true. We fall sick because of the germs- viruses and bacterias. It's actually because the dry weather dries out the mucous membranes in the nose, which makes it easier for viruses to get in and make us sick.
On the contrary, people and kids who have Asthma , they can get sick during winters. Cold air can trigger an acute episode of breathlessness and also they are more prone to infections. So a minor viral infection can trigger an asthmatic episode.  Asthmatic people should stay warm and eat warm and healthy food and maintain a good immunity.