Keep Warm Tips

I was listening to a radio phone in yesterday with people describing some of the, frankly, upsetting and I have to say quite mad, things people are doing to save energy costs in this cold snap and cost of living crisis. It truly hurts my heart that we – hardly a third-world country – are having to put ourselves through.

One woman had put no lights on since June, using a torch instead. She had no heating on, was wearing hats and scarves, watching telly on her laptop and more besides. When the presenter asked her how much she was saving, she answered about £12 a month. He was flabbergasted. Such suffering for so little.

Another chap said he had done Octopus Energy’s recommendations to the letter on the night of savings they held recently to encourage a big switch off by all their customers – a sort of experiment in encouraging people to think about their energy use. The chap calculated on his smart meter that it had saved a pound.

I know all those pounds do add up. But if the cold and restrictions are causing you stress – physiologically and emotionally – you have to re-think and choose different things to do.

My sister said she has moved herself to work upstairs where it is warmer. As a consequence, she feels more lonely and misses the feeling she gets from her usual room. She’s a writer so her muse-room is important. I have shut off my ice-cold office with two outside walls and huge single-glazed and not very well fitted windows to work downstairs in the lounge to save money. It causes me more disturbance and affects the family, but I do feel I can think better in the warmth! I hadn’t realised how stressful it is being cold, either, until I spent the afternoon yesterday in my friend’s toasty well-insulated house – I relaxed for the first time in days! The BBC report mentioned below confirms the effect cold can have on our cognitive abilities, too!

Anyway I saw some good keep-warm tips in my Inbox from Metabolics this morning – and results of an experiment that shows what happens to our bodies if we get cold.

Inside Health presenter James Gallagher from BBC Radio 4 took part in an experiment that explored the impact of the cold on our bodies. The experiment measured James’ body response to a drop in temperature from 21C to 10C. It was reported that blood flow to the brain fell by 20%, heart rate rose from 55 to 65 beats per minute and the body burned more carbs. Other findings can be found in this BBC report. The experiment revealed how the cold can impact the brain and cause difficulty thinking/problem solving.

Do you work in a cold office? Still hesitant to put the heating on due to rising living costs? Here’s a few ways you can stay warmer this winter:

Wear clothes that are made of wool
Gloves and warm socks are key
Introduce a higher carbohydrate diet
Stay on the move

My current favourite is going to bed early to read, turning the heating off and sitting with the electric blanket on! I turn it off once my bum gets too hot! Heating the person (and cat) and not the house is very effective. I have also made P go round and block as many gaps and vents as he can. And used bubblewrap to stuff in the (very many holes) in this rental house! Thank you to other sister for that fab tip!

Warm drinks and food also help a lot. I have a flask of warmed spiced apple juice and one of elderberry juice near my desk now so I don’t have to keep boiling the kettle. Yummy and warms me through. I also made enough apple/almond/cinnamon porridge for several days to save cooking, P makes us a curry that lasts 3-4 days and I make some lentil pasta and tomato/veg that lasts the rest. They just take a couple of minutes to re-heat and we use the cooker a lot less.

Here are more tips from the Government website:

Tips on how to stay warm at home during the day:

heat your main living room to around 18-21ºC (64-70ºF) and the rest of the house to at least 16ºC (61ºF)

heat all the rooms you use during the day
if you can’t heat all your rooms, make sure you keep your living room warm throughout the day and heat your bedroom before going to bed

set the timer on your heating to come on before you get up and switch off when you go to bed
in very cold weather, set the heating to come on earlier rather than turning the thermostat up, so you won’t be cold while you wait for your home to heat up

Staying warm at home at night

keep the temperature above 18°C (65°F) in your bedroom 
if you use a fire or heater in your bedroom during winter, open the window or door a little at night for ventilation

to prevent the risk of electrocution, avoid using an electric blanket with a hot water bottle

to prevent the risk of scalds or burns, make sure you fill your hot water bottles with warm water – never use boiling water

If you have an electric blanket:
check what type it is – some are designed to only warm the bed before you get in and should not to be used throughout the night

Wear warm clothes
You can help keep warm by:

wearing plenty of thin layers rather than one thick one
putting on a coat, hat, scarf, gloves and warm shoes or boots when you go outside

wearing clothes made of wool or fleecy synthetic fibres (cotton is only effective if the garment stays dry)
wearing bed socks and thermal underwear at night

If possible, stay indoors during a cold period if you have heart or respiratory problems.

Eat well
A healthy balanced diet will help keep you warm and healthy in the winter. Make sure you and your family eat at least one hot meal a day like soup which is nutritious, keeps you warm and is inexpensive to make or buy.

Stay active and stay in touch

Staying active is good for your health. Walking, for example, can be good for you. If the weather prevents you getting outside, stay active indoors by catching up on all the household tasks you’ve been putting off.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/staying-warm-winter

Keep warm and safe. Do share your best tips to help others if you can.