Not a fan of the cold? You’ll be surprised to know that there are a number of amazing health benefits to colder temperatures! Chillier temps can contribute to weight loss, glowing skin, torching calories and so much more! Read on to discover 5 incredible benefits to cold weather!
You’ll Sleep Better
In a 24 hour day, your body temperature will rise and fall. At the beginning of the day your body temperature is at its lowest, and at its highest point during the early afternoon. Towards the end of the day your body temperature begins to drop so that you can become drowsy, in an effort to help you fall asleep. In a University of South Australia article about insomnia, Dr. Cameron Van den Heuvel explains that research involving individuals who suffered from sleep-onset insomnia tend to have warmer core body temperatures than adults who do not suffer from insomnia. A helpful way to induce sleep is to lower the room temperature!
Additional research by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has also shown that some people who struggle with insomnia have more activity happening in the frontal lobes or the planning part of the brain. This is why many insomniacs state that they simply can’t turn their brain off before bed. By lowering the room temperature and literally cooling their heads, participants were able to fall asleep as easily as non-insomnia sufferers.
Cold Air Helps Clear Your Skin
Cecilia Wong, founder and facialist at Cecilia Wong Skincare in New York City explains that cold weather can act as an astringent! Wong says that cold weather can tighten pores which can lead to less clogged pores and less breakouts! Colder temps also slow down the production of oily sebum, which will ward off shiny skin and acne. When you take a walk outside, you’ll also experience similar effects of cryotherapy! Just as cryotherapy has proven anti-aging benefits and helps to create a glowing complexion, heading outside in the cold could help you get a quick beautiful glow too!
You’ll Think More Clearly
Glucose helps regulate our body temperatures and it also helps our mental alertness. Depending on whether or not we’re in a hot or cold climate, the glucose in our bodies constantly adjusts to help stabilize our body temperatures. According to Scientific American we use up far more glucose in our bodies in warmer temperatures to help us cool down, which can “adversely affect our decision-making abilities”. Need to clear your head? Take a walk outside!
You’ll Burn More Calories
According to recent research in the The Journal of Clinical Investigation, our bodies burn more brown fat when we’re exposed to colder temperatures! The study followed a group of six healthy men who were exposed to cold temperatures. Researchers found that the participants bodies were using brown fat to burn white fat, while also experiencing an increase in their resting metabolism expenditure. This means that the metabolisms of the participants increased by 80%!
Exercising In The Cold May Help With Seasonal Affective Disorder
Lack of sunshine and shorter days can make the winter seem bleak, however a quick winter workout can help boost your mood! A 2013 article in Vogue discussed that cold weather workouts can greatly reduce the symptoms and effects of SAD!
