Keeping Warm

Keeping warm is very much on my mind these days.  We are having our roof rebuilt, which was supposed to be done last spring.  In order to do this, the construction workers needed to take the heating/air conditioning unit off the roof for what may turn out to be two weeks.  This week the local temperatures decided to drop to their normal level of 40's and 30's, and down into the 20's at night.  (For those of you not in the US, that's Fahrenheit,  down to freezing and below.)
We have 2 space heaters, one in the bedroom and one in the living room.  The inside temp is around 63 right now, which is colder than I like.  I am wearing a wool sweater, and have a double-thick fleece blanket over my legs, and a cat on top of that.  My topic today is on how to keep warm when your surroundings aren't.
The first area I mentioned above is clothing.  The best way to dress is in layers, so you can take off and add on as needed.  I wrote quite a bit about warm clothing last year.  The next area I mentioned is my fleece blankie.  I also wrote about these blankets last year, telling how to make them.  There are other options for blankets besides fleece, though none so soft and comforting (in my opinion).    I will just mention a few, since there are so many.  Electric blankets are nice because they are not too heavy, and can be adjusted depending on how much warmth you want.  Another nice option related to this is an electric mattress pad.  We have these at our cabin.  They are great for when we get there later in the day, and the place doesn't get warmed up sufficiently by bedtime.  Wool blankets are warm, but some are heavy or scratchy.  Thermal blankets have air spaces woven into them, you put them between 2 sheets, your body heat rises up and gets trapped in the blanket to keep you warm.  Quilts of various thicknesses are another option.  If they are filled with feathers or down they are very warm but lightweight.  There are quilts filled with fake down, some are good, some tend to mat over time.  Flannel sheets are also nice, because they don't feel as cold on your skin.  When I was having a problem with night sweats, my doctor recommended flannel sheets as being more absorbent, and they don't feel as cold on the skin when wet.  (Sounds awful when I think about it now- I sure am glad I seem to be past that era). 
I also mentioned one of my favorite sources of heat, my cat.  Sharing space with another warm blooded animal, human or otherwise, is a great way to keep warm.  A good example of this is penguins.  They often congregate in large clusters, standing very close together to stay warm.  They take turns standing on the outer perimeter of the group, so no one has to be cold too long.  I'd rather snuggle with my one cat than a whole flock of penguins. 
A hot cup of tea or cocoa or coffee can be soothing in the cold.  I can't say that it actually warms me up much, though it does feel good to take in a mouthful of hot (but not too hot) liquid, and holding a hot mug in my hands warms my hands.  There are those who say that drinking hot tea is a good way to cool down in the summer, because it makes your sweat.  I can't say that I get a consistent heating or cooling effect from hot drinks.    Eating a bowl of soup or chili does seem to help me warm up, at least while I am eating it, especially if I hold onto the bowl.
Exercise or movement is a good source of heat.  If you exercise regularly, it not only heats you up for the time you are doing it, but it increases your metabolism, which keeps you warmer.  (Increased metabolism also burns calories faster, so you can eat more without gaining weight.)  Movement also decreases muscle stiffness.
Fire may seem like a good source of heat, and sitting by a lit fireplace has a magical effect on how I feel, but most fireplaces actually draw heat out of a room.  This is because the fire needs air to burn, and the air is pulled from the room and up the chimney.  Wood stoves, on the other hand, do heat a room, by radiating heat from the stove itself, and on some units, there are fans that increase the efficiency.   Our cabin is heated primarily by a wood stove.
There are a variety of space heaters, too many to cover in this blog.  I do want to mention a few personal space heaters that may be useful.  There are heated mittens, socks and slippers, both electric and battery operated.  There are also small packets that are self warming hand or foot warmers that heat by a self contained chemical reaction. They contain a device inside that needs to be snapped or broken, and then the contents of the packet shaken or squished together.  The different types last anywhere from twenty minutes to ten hours.  Some can be reused by putting in hot water to reset the device.
I'm sure there are heat sources I have not mentioned.  If you hve a favorite one that you don't see here, let us know by posting a comment. 

Staying Warm in the Cold

I had a task I needed to do out in the garage that would take me a couple of hours to accomplish.  Here in Northeast Ohio in January, that means being out in the cold- I think it was a high in the low 20's (F) today.  That got me thinking about how to stay warm in the cold.  I tend to be cold when other people aren't, so I have a good supply of long johns, etc.  Before going out to the garage, I put on an extra pair of socks, long john pants under my regular pants, an extra sweatshirt, and earmuffs.  I came in every half hour or so, and had an insulated mug of hot tea to sip on.
In general, the best way to dress for staying warm is in layers, so if you get too warm you can take off a layer, and put it back on when you get cold again.  The layer closest to the skin should be something that wicks the moisture of sweat away from the skin, and dries quickly.  Being wet and cold can lead to hypothermia, and possibly frostbite.   Silk is good, as are a number of synthetic materials.  Cotton used to be the preferred fabric for next to the skin, but cottton absorbs and holds the moisture, keeping it in.  My personal favorite is Cuddl Duds, which are smooth and silky feeling, and thin enough to wear under other clothes without adding bulk. I have both the long sleeve shirts and the pants. I also have socks that I wear under my regular socks in winter, called Gobi Liner from Wigwam, that are thin, wick away moisture, and help my feet stay warm.  I even bought a couple of pairs for my older son, who lives in Boston, rides his bicycle everywhere, and whose idea of fun is a 100 mile bike ride.
On top of that layer, I often wear a turtle neck long sleeve shirt, which keeps cold air from blowing down my neck.  I am glad I am not very fashion conscious, because most shirts these days expose too much skin for my comfort. 
The next layer should be something that traps and holds body heat in, such as fleece or wool.  Some people wear a down or fleece vest, which keeps the body's core warm, but I have found that I need long sleeves.  If my arms are cold, all of me feels cold.  When I am indoors, this is my outermost layer.  If I am going out, I add another layer that will insulate and keep the body heat in, and rain/snow/wind, etc. out.  Depending on the weather and how active I will be, this ranges from a windbreaker to a down jacket.  If my ears get cold, they hurt terribly.  I like to wear earmuffs, or a more recent find for me are those fleece headbands.  I wear them when I am outside even if it is 55 degrees.  Each coat or jacket I own has a fleece headband in one pocket and a pair of gloves in the other pocket.  Mittens are actually warmer than gloves, because the fingers help keep each other warm.  I have mittens available for the coldest days, but it is easier to do things in gloves.  
When I am sitting inside our apartment, I often feel cold.  I have a nice, snuggly fleece blanket I like to drape over me.  When we first get to our cabin in the winter, it is often around 40 degrees inside.  Once we get everything brought in and the food put away, I wrap my electric blanket around myself and read until the place warms up.  My cat likes both the fleece and the electric blanket, and often stretches out on my lap, adding extra warmth for me. 
As you can see, keeping warm is very important to me.  When I am cold, my muscles tense up, which increases my pain level.  Keeping muscles warm helps them to relax, and decreases pain.