Winter Safety

 

     Winter safety encompasses the necessary precautions that need to be taken to best navigate hazards unique to wintertime. Now that the holiday season has been tucked away for a long summer’s nap, winter has unfurled its frosty wrath. Dropping temperatures and rapidly fluctuating weather have resulted in icy roads and hypothermic conditions across the state; colder weather requires increased caution to ensure your safety.

 

Common Winter Illnesses to Guard Against and How to Take Care of Yourself in the Cold

 

     Frigid temperatures incapacitate your body’s immune system, leaving you more susceptible to viruses such as the cold, flu, and COVID-19. As cases for each virus spike during the dreg of winter, make sure to be aware of the symptoms of each illness. Hopkins Medicine alerts of the vague differences between rising viruses, the common cold, flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia—each excessive sharing coughing and sore throat. However, the flu is distinguished by a fever and body aches, bronchitis is accompanied by inflamed bronchi and resulting mucus, while pneumonia is characterized by lung infection and corresponding chest pains. 

     As important as it is to be aware of and regulate your own symptoms, please do not hesitate to reach out to a health center for guidance whenever you may feel ill. Take whichever precautions are necessary for the assurance of your own safety and well-being. 

     When taking consistent care to assess your health, be sure to take your temperature often. According to Mayo Clinic, with temperatures scraping just below freezing, susceptibility to hypothermia—the loss of body heat faster than it can regenerate—greatly increases. And if untreated, it may lead to dangerous, if not deadly, debilitation of the heart and respiratory system. In order to avoid this, make sure to wear thick layers, particularly on your hands and feet, which serve as thermoregulatory regulators and require the most protection!

     In order to prevent the spread of viral infections, such as the flu—a recently spiking airborne respiratory infection—make sure your winter safety precautions include washing your hands often, avoiding close contact with infected people, and minimizing touching your face with unwashed hands. The CDC recommends wearing a mask in order to prevent the risk of spreading infections, along with cleaning and disinfecting often to eliminate harmful bacteria. As well, practicing healthy habits like staying well-rested and physically active can reduce the risk of illness and boost serotonin levels to improve the bearability of wintertime.

 

Winter Safety Inside The Home

 

     When particularly bitter winter days usher us towards hibernation, be sure to extend your winter safety practices beyond bacteria protection into awareness of further risks to your health. Increased use of heating systems within enclosed homes may potentially render inhabitants vulnerable to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO may be released in fumes as a result of the exacerbation of furnaces, kerosene heaters, and other heating systems. These fumes can then accumulate into dangerous toxins…headaches, dizziness, and nausea experienced within the confines of a heated home may be indicative of carbon monoxide poisoning. In order to prevent this dangerous possibility, be sure to have regular check-ups for your heating system, alongside yourself, and never run a gas-powered engine near a window, door, or vent within an enclosed structure (CDC). 

 

Winter and Mental Health

 

     As important as your physical health, be sure to have frequent assessments of your mental health. If you are susceptible to seasonal depression or are feeling overwhelmed regarding the end of the semester, winter safety, or any personal circumstances, never hesitate to reach out to your loved ones, counselors, or anyone who has the potential to offer you the care you deserve. But if you’re instead looking to support those in need, consider assisting in your community through volunteering at your local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or nursing home to help provide (and receive) some warmth throughout the frosty season. 

 

     Although Winter is riddled with illness risks and road hazards, be sure to exercise winter safety and take great care towards the well-being of yourself and others. The bleak interlude will metamorphose into spring before we know it. After all, the groundhog only sees his shadow because he stands before an awaiting sun!