Frozen

Brrrr!! It is cold out there today! We all feel a little bit frozen after our commute to school and work. Even after we get indoors we still feel  cold inside our bodies. Some people describe the feeling as being chilled to the bones or for this man, chilled to the beard!! The tiny water droplets that are in our breath freeze as they hit the cold air and get caught in facial hair  giving this man a frosty mustache.

 

Our bodies do change when it is cold outside. Our body functions differently. Human beings are essentially tropical animals. We adapt to cold weather by turning on the furnace in our homes and wearing winter jackets, hats and mittens. We can't  adapt our bodies to withstand the harsh winter weather but changes do happen. These changes warn us that we need to go inside or put on warmer clothing.

The first change you may notice on a cold day is in your fingers. At temperatures below 12c our fingers lose function. Ever tried to do up buttons with cold hands? It isn't always easy. At temperatures below 8c you begin to lose your sense of touch. 
That is one reason that we put ice on injuries. The ice cools the pain receptors and we can't feel the injury as much.

When you get cold your body makes a few changes to conserve heat. One thing it does constrict our blood vessels which reduces the volume of blood circulating in our body. Less blood means less fluid volume. Where does this extra fluid go? Our body gets rid of it in the form of urine. When you are cold you pee more often.
Being cold  can also give you goose bumps. Goose bumps happen when the muscles at the base of your hair follicles flex. The  scientific name for this is horripilation.    This isn't very effective for humans but on animals that have more hair than us it helps to keep them warmer.
 Another thing our body does to try and keep warm is shiver. Shivering is your bodies way of trying to increase heat by involuntarily moving our muscles.

While our bodies have a few tricks to try and keep warm they are not very effective in the harsh Canadian winter climate. We are very susceptible to damage such as   frost bite and hypothermia caused by low temperature. This video shows us some good tips for preventing and detecting both hypothermia and frostbite.

Other animals are much better at adapting to cold than humans are. A favorite of ours is the Wood Frog. Many wood frogs live at Bear Creek Eco Park. They can live in very cold conditions and are able to live much further north than any other frog.
They have the amazing ability to freeze completely and then thaw and reanimate in spring.

 

 

How do they do this amazing adaptation?!This cool video helps to explain.

 

 

 

 

So Eco Rangers please keep warm and cover your skin when you play outdoors this winter. There is so much fun to be had in the snow if we stay safe.