Live data from Hacker News

The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

bbc.com

71–80 of 178 posts

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#71
I lived in Stockholm at the time.We had a night out in central part and eventually I ended up on a train(underground,if I remember correctly, but not even the right one).Fell asleep.Woke up when train was approaching the last stop.They would usually ask everyone to get off and then after 5-10 minutes the train goes back. It was a very Swedish winter with at least -15C if not more.So here I am, standing with my 'not so winter' jacket and nike shoes. It's open type platform,so no walls.I stare at the information screen that shows 8,6,5,4,3,2,... eventually 1 minute left...And goes again to 9,8,7,etc..The train isn't going anywhere for some reason and I'm stuck in the outskirts of Stockholm.No bar or any other place is open. Eventually I ended up spending about 6 hours waiting for the service to continue,while constantly walking around the station.I haven't swore so much in my entire life.At about 8am, the service was up and running again and I could get on a train back to my place.Turns out, there was so much snow on tracks that they couldn't continue until it was cleared.

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#72

I do wonder how much of this is genetic. My ancestry is Celtic (Scottish on one side, Irish the other) and I have a high resistance to cold, until I lived with my partner I’d have the the windows ajar even in winter and rarely put the heating on, I’m rarely cold even when cycling long distances on days with the temperature around zero and I wear t-shirts year around, I find jumpers and shirts stifling in any normal t…

On that point, I wanted to share something you may relate to: my Filipino wife is always freezing in SF. I'm from Scandinavian descent, I could live as naked as a jaybird in the Bay Area weather. Where can't I find a blanket thick on the left, thin on the right? :)

Even better - I have a Sunbeam six zone mattress pad. Three zones (head, middle, foot) for me and three for Ms. Wrycoder.

We put it on something like 3:3:4 3:3:4 to preheat for a toasty bed to climb into in the winter and then turn one side off. I like to have 0:0:2 to keep my feet warm.

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#73

Surprisingly, no mention of Wim Hoff - The Ice Man > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6XKcsm3dKs

All the videos I've seen about Wim are incredibly frustrating - none of them are remotely technical and none of them go into any kind of depth as to how to actually practice the method - just a bunch of montages of Wim doing Wim stuff and talking about his magic breathing. Granted, I haven't searched in a few years now, perhaps things have changed.... I want to believe but I don't have enough information to try anyth…

I felt the same until I realized that is all it is- a breathing technique, coupled with gradually adapting yourself to cold over time. The breathing mostly just serves to keep you calm while your body activates it's natural cold responses such as uncoupling the mitochondria in brown fat.

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#74

I do wonder how much of this is genetic. My ancestry is Celtic (Scottish on one side, Irish the other) and I have a high resistance to cold, until I lived with my partner I’d have the the windows ajar even in winter and rarely put the heating on, I’m rarely cold even when cycling long distances on days with the temperature around zero and I wear t-shirts year around, I find jumpers and shirts stifling in any normal t…

You may have inherited a diet and adopted habits that cultivate brown fat.

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#75
post #64

I do wonder how much of this is genetic. My ancestry is Celtic (Scottish on one side, Irish the other) and I have a high resistance to cold, until I lived with my partner I’d have the the windows ajar even in winter and rarely put the heating on, I’m rarely cold even when cycling long distances on days with the temperature around zero and I wear t-shirts year around, I find jumpers and shirts stifling in any normal t…

For any other confused Americans: "jumper" = "sweater"

I think "jumper" tends to be Northern English, I don't think it's used around London, (but I could be wrong). I believe our Viking cousins in Norway and Iceland use "jumper" as well.

Incidentally, we also use the word "pullovers".

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#76
post #48

When I was 14 years old I moved from northern Illinois to Hollywood CA and when I told kids there that on a sunny 40º winter day in Illinois we didn't wear coats because it was "warm out" for us. They thought for sure I was bullshitting them. To be fair, after living in So. Cal for a few years when it fell to 70º on summer evenings I would get the shivers if I was only wearing a T-shirt.

Same effect here. After months of -20c, 0c feels like summer.

Spent a few months in the bay area for an internship and was shivering and adding layers at 15c.

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#77

I do wonder how much of this is genetic. My ancestry is Celtic (Scottish on one side, Irish the other) and I have a high resistance to cold, until I lived with my partner I’d have the the windows ajar even in winter and rarely put the heating on, I’m rarely cold even when cycling long distances on days with the temperature around zero and I wear t-shirts year around, I find jumpers and shirts stifling in any normal t…

Oh I’m the exact same version of mutt as yourself (incidentally, born and raised Canadian) and am much the same. I’ve always said I “run hot” because it can be the dead of winter but as soon as I walk in the building in the morning I’ll start sweating. I have to unzip my coat and take my hat off on the bus and subway or I’ll sweat through. Humid summertimes have to be managed accordingly.

I know your situation allllll too well!

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#78
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For any other confused Americans: "jumper" = "sweater"

I think "jumper" tends to be Northern English, I don't think it's used around London, (but I could be wrong). I believe our Viking cousins in Norway and Iceland use "jumper" as well. Incidentally, we also use the word "pullovers".

It’s used in Ireland as well. There’s a famous pop/rock song that features it in particular.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jxmZZBJQAKM

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#79
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For any other confused Americans: "jumper" = "sweater"

I think "jumper" tends to be Northern English, I don't think it's used around London, (but I could be wrong). I believe our Viking cousins in Norway and Iceland use "jumper" as well. Incidentally, we also use the word "pullovers".

They're also called jerseys.

Re: The human body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the cold

#80
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For any other confused Americans: "jumper" = "sweater"

I think "jumper" tends to be Northern English, I don't think it's used around London, (but I could be wrong). I believe our Viking cousins in Norway and Iceland use "jumper" as well. Incidentally, we also use the word "pullovers".

Brit here. "jumper" is used across the whole of the UK. Nobody British would ever use the word "sweater".
Post reply on HN