Things You Do to Stay Warm that Actually Make You Colder in Menomonie and western Wisconsin

November 18, 2015

Winter is inevitably near in Menomonie and western Wisconsin, and with it always comes frigid temperatures that could leave us bundling up with additional layers. Furnace service and extra layers are usually reliable ways to keep warm on cold days, but there are a number of other suggestions floating around out there that you might be trying that are actually making you colder, not warmer.

Common Myths:

  • Hot drinks will make you warmer: while the primary sensation of a hot drink can help you think that you’re warm, your brain can sense that it should start cooling off your body, generating cooling mechanisms.
  • Alcoholic drinks will warm you up: the reason we normally feel warm after a few drinks, it’s merely your skin warming. Alcohol can actually lower your core temperature, making you colder. An efficient furnace, thanks to having annual furnace service performed, is a more sound bet.
  • Hot showers heat you up: as it is with hot drinks, the heat of your shower is only a fleeting feeling that fades when the water is dried up and toweled off. That’s why you never want to open the shower curtain.
  • Wearing only a hat will cover your warming needs: while there are a number of sources that claim a great deal of body heat is lost via your head, it’s important to remember that any part of exposed skin increases heat loss. Therefore, while it seems clear, if you’re only wearing a hat and not a coat or gloves, you’re more likely to lose body heat quicker.

So now that you have read about a handful of misunderstandings surrounding staying warm this winter, it’s not difficult to see the importance of something as basic as furnace service. Of course there are other things you can do to stay warm this winter besides furnace service, but there may not be many that have such a large effect on your day-to-day comfort. Give Halverson Brothers Inc a call at 715-352-4052 or schedule an appointment online to learn more about what furnace service can do for you in Menomonie and western Wisconsin.