5 biggest health hazards winter brings

Baby, its cold outside and that means certain health issues increase with wintry weather.  If you’re not careful, your health can suffer from the dry, frosty conditions.  Here are 5 health challenges that old man winter can aggravate making them much worse than other times of the year:

1.  Asthma attacks

For those with asthma, winter presents a special challenge.  Asthma attacks are more likely to occur during this season for a couple of different reasons – one is spending more time indoors.  Being stuck indoors means more exposure to triggers of asthma such as mold, pet dander, dust mites, and even fire components in a fireplace.  The second reason is even when a person ventures outside, breathing in bitterly cold air can bring on an asthma attack.

What to do:  To reduce asthma attacks during winter, try limiting time around animals, use mite-proof covers on the mattress, box springs, and pillows, and when outdoors, cover the nose and mouth with a scarf to keep from breathing in cold, dry air.

2.  Catching a virus

It’s not that cold winter air has a direct effect of contracting a virus, but it does mean you are spending more time indoors around other people who may have a virus.  This close proximity allows viruses an easy way to spread amongst many people. 

What to do:  Since avoiding people for 3 months out of the year is not realistic, the best thing to do is to stay healthy by eating a nutritious diet, exercising, keeping well-hydrated, reducing stress, and getting adequate sleep.  Also, frequent hand-washing is a must – especially after shaking a person’s hand. 

3.  Weight gain

Not only are there major holidays emphasizing food (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day) occurring during the coldest months of the year, but many of us also slow down or even suspend physical activity.  By the time spring arrives, the numbers on the scale have crept up.

What to do:   To combat weight gain during winter, start by making a conscious effort to eat mindfully at meals and snacks. Keep portion sizes reasonable and avoid skipping meals to keep up metabolism.  Thirty minutes daily of moderate to vigorous physical activity - brisk walking, an indoor spin class or even yoga - can aid in keeping the pounds from coming on.  

4.  Depression

The gray days of winter can bring on the blues as in seasonal depression. As the hours of sunlight diminish, the “winter blues” can turn into seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  Increased hours of darkness along with dealing with cold, sometimes dangerous weather, can negatively affect the psyche of anyone of us. 

What to do:  When suffering from SAD, an effective treatment is to use light therapy.  Introduced in the 1980s, light therapy makes up for the lack of sunlight during the fall and winter.  Every day, a person sits in front of special light box that mimics natural sunlight causing changes in brain chemicals regulating mood. 

It also helps to have an active social schedule to get out the house frequently instead of spending time coop up all winter long.

5.  Arthritis pain

Cold, brisk air is not a friend to arthritis.  In fact, it is during the winter when those with arthritis find themselves suffering the most.  Cold and wet weather along with changes in barometric pressure are the suspects in making it worse. 

What to do:  To minimize the impact of cold weather on joints, dress warmly in layers.  When venturing outdoors, be sure to have on mittens, socks, and something covering your head.  Avoid sitting around too much.  Keep moving as physical activity is good for achy joints.  This can be a good time to join a water-aerobics class or walking indoors on a treadmill.