When blood rushes to the surface, it is pulled away from the center where it is needed to warm the organs. Your body doesn’t get warmer, it gets colder and you can’t feel it. Inclement weather can increase the risk of: hypothermia — Very low body temperature — experts say.
“Beer jackets are an illusion,” says Aaron White, senior scientific advisor to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Experts say there’s another mechanism by which alcohol affects core body temperature. interrupt the work. HypothalamusThis partially regulates core body temperature, limiting the body’s ability to control and making it more susceptible to ambient temperature.
a literature review The Army Institute of Environmental Medicine found that “alcohol consumption exacerbates the drop in core body temperature during cold exposure by inhibiting the shivering response, in which muscles contract and relax to warm the body.” Did.
But not everyone reacts the same way.
It states that the effect of alcohol on body temperature can be influenced by many factors, including the amount of alcohol consumed, an individual’s tolerance, and overall health. julia zumpanoa registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Human Nutrition Center.
Generally, the higher the concentration of alcohol in your bloodstream, the more likely you are to experience side effects such as changes in core body temperature. research result. The same goes for people with certain medical conditions or taking certain medications, Zumpano said in an email.
However, she said some people are more tolerant of alcohol than others and may be less sensitive to certain reactions.
What else you should know:
White said when drinking alcohol in a cold environment, don’t be fooled by the warm sensation. Please take precautions:
- I’ll tie it up.
- Don’t walk long distances in the cold.
- Do not leave it in a cold place for a long time.
Drinking alcoholic beverages on a cold day may keep you warm, but your core body temperature may drop and you may feel colder.
