The Unexpected Things Winter Does To Your Body

Everyone suffers a little in the winter, be it human or animal, but how does cold climate actually change your body?

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Widespread seasonal gene expression reveals annual differences in human immunity and physiology
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[willsmiththeiron]

only thing i like about winter there are no mosquitos

[Kakiharaichii]

Well someone who born and raised in sunny Mediterranean country and now living in Canada temporarily, I do not understand why anyone would live in a cold climate. People and culture are also seems less warm, too. Lack of sun is the major problem more than the cold in my opinion when it comes to the psychology and culture. I literally enjoyed everyday of the summer this year, can't wait to leave. Four seasons with a short winter is the best.

[-cosmicrogue-]

Things I love about winter:
1)No poison Ivy
2)No mosquitoes
3)No sunburn
4)No humidity.
5)Snow. Snow is fun. Snowballs are fun. Snowmen are fun. Sled riding is fun. Snow sparkles in the moonlight.
6)Hot cocoa and fresh pie season
7)Scarves are nifty
8)Good hiking weather. No joke. Bears are hibernating. No insects or poison ivy. Trees are absent of leaves, so great views of land and rock formations.
*BUT IT'S COLD, YOU SAY.* Bitch, please, I am a small 105 pound woman who knows how to put on some boots and winter gear and enjoy the cold.

[Melissa]

I always wondered how growing up in a warm tropical environment has affected people over generations, both psychologically and physically. I wonder if weather has had an influence on people's mental health and if that, in turn has shaped societies and influenced cultural norms.

[TheMatthewDMerrill]

I rather put on 20 layers of clothes than have my skin melt in the summer.

[Kurtford]

I hate getting less sunlight, I work nights so in winter I go to sleep when it dark and I pretty much wake up in the dark I barely see the sunlight and you can definitely feel it on your body.

[justdoit]

I get sick more often in summer and spring. In winter, I just feel like resting(with brief periods of extreme focus). On hot days I get exhausted, and my mind is foggy (even with adequate hydration). My eyes can barely stand the glare from the sun. I like grey days, when the sun is hidden by the clouds.

[Orodreth]

I love winter: it is cold, it is grey and it gets dark early.

[EmilyJelassi]

i love winter - my favorite season! there are no mosquitoes - a huge plus in my book. also, i suffer from a nerve disease (complex regional pain syndrome), and my nerve pain is so much less during cold weather; it's just awful in the heat & humidity of summer.

i would love it if you'd do an educational video on CRPS!! it's so poorly understood (even by doctors!)...i didn't even know about it until i got it.

[alyssaoconnor]

I hate the winter - four months of solid low temps, arctic wind, hail and rain chills everyone to the bone no matter what clothing you wear. The low constant ache of bone and muscle as you get older as well as immune system disease due to severe vitamin D deficiency is a big problem here where I live 😕.

[EmeraldRaven]

I love winter and my skin loves the cold. Born and raised in Washington State!! Besides the sun causes wrinkles.

[dichorisandra]

Um am I the only person who loves the winter and hates summer?

[zree]

I think it's interesting when you think about winter and then think about the social activities we've created around the "holidays" to bring people together and lighten the mood of the season. Subconsciously we've always known about the affects the seasons have on our bodies and have combated them with alternate things to balance things out

[wdd]

I notice that in all the winter songs or Christmas carols dealing with winter, among the lyrics about the joys of snow, winter wonderland, making snowmen, ice skating, sleigh rides, sledding, never once do we find the word "shovel."

[RayleneS]

I've lived in Michigan for nearly 17 years and the only thing I hate about winter is when it's sunny with snow on the ground. It always blinds me. I hate having light-sensitive eyes. The coldness doesn't hurt, either. It's just chilly. The shorter, grey days are much more enjoyable for me. I've always had an easier time breathing in the winter rather than the summer as well.

I guess I'm one of the few people who actually like the cold.

[SpiralMoss]

I work outdoors all year round in Ireland, so I get more than enough daylight all day, then when the sun goes down I get home and I'm tired. Its a very lucid dream like feeling when I get to bed early, curling into the pillows like a cat and I love it. Then during the summer I'm fishing during the evening in river's and from craggy shorelines in the ocean and just rambling the country side around hills etc rocky coastlines, hilly valley's etc best of both worlds

[AshleyAJGLITTER]

it's funny when it's winter you want it to be summer but when it's summer you want it to be winter

[jordanbrosious]

Then my body is strange. I don't get sick or anything during the cold. In fact, I feel stronger in the winter. I thrive in it...

[prin]

Tropical weather has lots of tropical viruses and those damn mosquitoes. Not so lovely when you're in a hot and sticky environment too. I'd like to live in a place right in the middle of warm and cold.

[Borascythe]

I personally love the winter. Living in the southeast US, the humidity in the late spring to early fall is unbearable. Late fall until early spring is the only time of the year where I like being outside. I am usually sick during the warmer months with either a sinus infection, ear infection or some other issue such as allergies (which is getting better since I get shots). I never get sick in winter. I am also a night person, so I feel great and alert when the sun is down, but I start feeling significantly worse when the sun is up.

I would be interested in knowing the physiological changes I go through in comparison to most of the population.