My Body Is NOT Made For Winter
But, tbh, whose really is?
“Do you have your scarf? How ‘bout your hat? Wait don’t forget your gloves, you have poor circulation in your extremities!”
These are the words of my mother, as I exit the house in the morning. She worries constantly, as many Minnesotan mothers (and fathers) do in the winter.
“Don’t slip on the ice!”
“Make sure the cars stop and don’t slide through the intersection!”
She works extra hard to ensure my safety in the winter. But maybe her worries are justified.
As indicated in the photo, I live in Minnesota. Not Minnesnowta. Minnesota. We don’t even get that much snow; have people even heard of Alaska and Colorado? No, what I’m worried about is the cold. The tightening your shoulders and clanging your teeth cold. The wear at least 5 layers cold. The always have a warm beverage cold.
Minnesota is located in the Northern Hemisphere, within somewhat close proximity of the North Pole. Based on its prime location, when climate change really gets going, and it will, thanks to politicians with personal agendas, Minnesota may be lucky enough to suffer an ice age. You may think that the idea of an ice age seems out of this world, however the last ice age was globally only 5 degrees colder than today. Yes. Everyone get prepared. In the meantime, let’s discuss the fatality of winter.
The cold is dangerous and not just because it is unpleasant. I don’t care what all of those skiers and ice-fishers have to say. I am not built for winter. Winter, a.k.a. the root of my problems, leads to a 17% increase in deaths, a global trend. Flu and Pneumonia, my favorites, are worsened and heightened by the cold. They are also increasingly spread due to our natural instinct to never venture outside, ever(Brody).
Heat is good! No, heat is dangerous! Heat amounts to an increase in fires due to the army of fireplaces and furnaces we ignite. These fires are also more dificult to extinguish thanks to the excruciating lack of humidity found in Minnesota during winter. Oh wait, I almost forgot about Carbon Monoxide poisoning(Brody). We must never forget this silent killer.
Now, let’s address SAD, because it feels like we haven’t discussed the traumatic effects of winter enough. SAD, which stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a subset of depression, where symptoms flare up or commence at the start of a season. While a rare form of SAD occurs during summer, most SAD cases start in the fall and fade away in the spring(Walton).
For being so neglected, the disorder is relatively common. An estimated 6–10% of the population suffer from SAD. Though a complicated issue, light is said to be the main cause of SAD, which is certainly lacking in the winter months. A UV light deficiency, in composition with gene makeup, leads to the most common symptoms, weight gain and increased sleep. There are 3 common treatments available, but you must admit that winter really screws with us here(Walton).
Our light exposure doesn’t solely affect our mental health. Vitamin D, born of the sun’s rays, also helps us maintain a healthy cholesterol level. So, yes you guessed it, anyone struggling with their cardiac health, is at an increased risk during those saddening months. Vitamin D, I’m a big fan of good ol’ Vitamin D, balances the ratio of LDL to HDL, LDL being the bad cholesterol and HDL being the fun guy(Abrams).
This unsurprising concept was noted in Brazil. Doctors noticed that patients overall had higher cholesterol levels in the winter, by 8%. This data was gathered by examining 250,000 people, from 2008–2010. You might be wondering if the location, Brazil played a role in the study. The lead investigator of the study, Filipe Moura, examined this factor as well, and predicted that the changes in cholesterol could be higher in those living in a climate with even greater temperature fluctuations. Minnesota, with its hot and humid summers and its deafeningly cold winters, definitely fits that description(Abrams).
Let’s just admit Vitamin D is important. Yet, Vitamin defficiency is quit common, about 3 million people in the U.S. each year are diagnosed with this deficiency(“Vitamin D Deficiency.”). Vitamin D is found in foods and UV light. Your bone health is what’s at stake, so extreme cases of deficiency “can cause your bones to become thin, brittle or misshapen”. I know I certainly don’t want my bones to be “misshapen”(Zeratsky). Though easily treatable, now I have to worry about my bones too.
For those unfamiliar with winter, imagine. After wrapping my 5'1 body, in layer after layer, that serves as a protective barrier to all the horrors that await outside my warm and cozy house, I open the door. Immediately, cold air rushes in, takes a hold of inner light, no, my soul, and numbs my brain, ultimately destroying my body.
Maybe we all have to do our worrying mothers and fathers a favor, and move to a country that sees no winter.
Works Cited
Abrams, Lindsay. “Study: Our Cholesterol Levels Are Highest in Winter.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Brody, Jane E. “Beware: Winter Is Coming.” The Atlantic. The New York Times Company, 16 Dec. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Burt Christopher C. Burt , 10:02 PM GMT on December 20, 2016, Christopher C. “U.S. 24-hour State and City Snowfall Records.” Weather Underground. The Weather Company, 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
“Cold Advice: Layer Up, Get Below Ground … or Embrace It.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Freezing My Ass off in Minnesota. @UMNprobs Pic.twitter.com/w0pc7zAxhu. N.d. Twitter. By UMNProbs. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
N.d. TwinCities. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
Snow in Minnesota. N.d. Minnesota. NBC. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
Statistical Bulletin. Dartmouth: International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, 1985. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
“Vitamin D Deficiency.” SpringerReference (n.d.): 1. 17 Aug. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Walton, Alice G. “Coming Out of the Cold: Treating Your Seasonal Affective Disorder.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 28 Oct. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Zeratsky, Katherine. “Vitamin D Deficiency.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation For Medical Education and Research (MFMER), n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
