It's Better for Your Heart & Lungs. Cold weather can have a negative impact on your health, especially your heart and respiratory system. When your body works to regulate heat, your blood pressure can increase to unhealthy levels, causing long-term damage.
Colder Air is Good for Your Brain
Colder air boosts your brain activity, improves focus, and helps you think more clearly. Numerous studies show that our cognitive functions improve in colder weather: we're prone to quicker decision-making and staying calm when our body needs more energy to keep us warm.
Science proves 'sunny and +23°C (73°F)' is perfect for our health. Surveys of weather preferences show that, for Europeans, the most preferred temperature range is 20 to 26°C, within which 22 to 23°C is simply ideal. Adults, young and old, confirm that this temperature is the most comfortable.
The southern coast, which includes Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, has the best climate by far, with mild winters (June to August) between 41°F and 50°F (5°C and 10°C) and warm summers (December to February) between 77°F and 86°F (25°C and 30°C).
The cities were scored based on 43 key indicators of health, including fruit and vegetable consumption and vaccination rates. The site dubbed Fremont, Calif., the happiest city nationwide, based on 30 indicators of happiness, including depression rate, income growth rate and average amount of leisure time per day.
Cold air inflames lungs and inhibits circulation, increasing the risk of respiratory conditions, such as asthma attacks or symptoms, worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and infection.
How cold weather can be dangerous. One of the most dangerous things about cold temperatures is that they come with an increased risk of cardiac issues, like heart attack and stroke, particularly for people with conditions like heart disease.
Cold weather, and particularly cold air, can also play havoc with your lungs and health. Cold air is often dry air, and for many, especially those with chronic lung disease, that can spell trouble. Dry air can irritate the airways of people with lung diseases.
Generally, places with lower ozone levels and lower pollution levels are good choices for people with lung disease, Dr. Knepler said. And if you find that cold, dry air or hot, humid air causes flare-ups, you could look for a location that's more comfortable for you.
Finally, there's also research to suggest that your immune cells are more sluggish in cold temperatures than in warmer temperatures, which is why feeling cold or spending time in cold weather is more likely to make you sick.
Cold weather can raise your risk of heart and circulatory problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.
More Than Two Years Longer
In research compiled as recently as two years ago, it was determined that people living in cooler regions of the world may live an average of 2.2163 years longer than those who don't.
New research finds that moderately cold temperatures increase a person's longevity and decrease susceptibility to age-related diseases.
"It makes you feel alive." Doctors verify there's a medical reason behind those mood-lifting endorphins. "Because your body has to work harder in the cold, your endorphin production is boosted even more, leading to a happier state of mind," Kevin Plancher, a New York M.D., tells Women's Health Mag.
Hypothermia is a condition brought on when the body temperature drops to less than 95°F. It can kill. For those who survive, there are likely to be lasting kidney, liver and pancreas problems.
When we start to get cold, our blood becomes thicker, which can cause clotting. Clotting can cause problems and is one of the reasons we see more heart attacks and strokes in the days following colder weather. Being cold also affects our body's ability to fight off infection.
Cold temperatures tend to stimulate urination.
Another reason for living longer in colder climates is when your colder, the body needs additional mitochondria to warm you up, and mitochondria also slows the aging process.
You're exposed to less sunlight
“Vitamin D and vitamin K levels drop in the winter, and are associated with darker circles under the eyes, giving the appearance of significant aging due to paler, more transparent skin,” explains Patricia Wexler, MD, New York City dermatologist and founder of Wexler Dermatology.
Body temperature is one of the most well known and important factors involved in lifespan; increased body temperature has been shown to negatively associate with longevity (i.e. earlier death) and conversely, lower body temperature is associated with increased longevity and reduced aging.
It's very common to feel hungrier at this time of year and there are very good reasons as to why. The colder weather leads to a drop in our body temperature, which means our appetites get stimulated as a result.
At least five areas on Earth have been officially identified as "blue zones," where people live the longest and healthiest lives. The are Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Ikaria, Greece; and Sardinia, Italy.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
What is known is that hotter air has the capacity to absorb and carry more water vapor than colder air. In other words, the hotter the air, the higher the humidity tends to be. That said, hot and humid air is thicker and heavier, and, therefore, harder to inhale.