Three Things You Never Knew About Keeping Warm in the Winter

December 2 2014

James Patten

 

This winter, we know that lots of you will be relying upon industrial heating and the like to keep your workplaces warm. In light of our last blog, you certainly should be, as otherwise your productivity will definitely take a nosedive, but that’s not the only way to be keeping warm. We all have ‘go-to’ methods of warming ourselves up when we’re feeling the cold, but what you may not realise is that many of these methods are pretty much urban myths; they don’t actually work. Here are 3 ways to warm up that you’ve probably relied upon for years, but which may not really be all that helpful…

Hot Drinks Don’t Warm You Up

When you work in an office, the natural impulse is to reach for a kettle and brew a hot drink to take the chill out of your bones. If that’s a habit of yours, then we have big news for you; hot drinks could actually be doing more to cool you down. The theory is that your body begins to sweat in response to the arrival of a hot liquid, and if this sweat then evaporates you’ll begin to cool down. Inversely, a cold drink can cause your blood vessels to tighten, thereby making you feel much warmer. We’re not expecting people to start reaching for a chilled glass of water anytime soon though!

Being Cold is all in your Mind

OK so this one isn’t entirely true, but bear with us! In some extremely cold environments, forms of meditation have been practised that (apparently) allow people to raise their body temperature. The methods can range from basically ‘thinking warming thoughts’ to breathing exercises that are said to produce heat, and there is some evidence that they might work. Some extraordinary feats have certainly been attempted by individuals using such meditative practices. So whilst being cold isn’t all in your head, it seem as though mental exercises can be used to fight it.

Dark Clothing Doesn’t Keep You Warm

We all know that dark clothes absorb heat and white clothes reflect heat. It’s one of those common bits of trivia which (although the reality may be more complicated) has been passed down the generations. However, some evidence exists to suggest that these principles apply to your own body heat too; white clothing could therefore ‘reflect’ your body heat back at you and thus keep it trapped within your clothing. This is certainly true of bird plumage, so, although the same fact hasn’t been proven for clothing, it’s certainly something to try out at work this winter!

Here at Heritage Heating and Cooling, we’re fascinated by all sorts of heat related trivia, but when it comes to maintaining a solid and effective temperature in your workplace we’re well equipped with all of the solutions to meet your needs. To find out more, contact our team by calling 01509 814 123 or send an email to info@heritageheatingandcooling.co.uk.

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