Drinking wine to warm up? Licking lips to keep moisturized? What should you pay attention to in winter health care?

When the weather is cold, some people like to drink some wine to warm themselves up before going out. Is this true? Some people like to eat some delicious food to replenish themselves. Is this right? Some people even stay at home when they don’t need to. Is this good for their health? Here are some tips on winter for you to understand.

Avoid 4 misunderstandings about winter health

Licking your lips moisturizes them? They'll get drier

When the air is dry in cold weather, people's lips are prone to chapped lips, causing discomfort, pain and bleeding. Many people like to lick their lips with their tongues, thinking that this can moisten and make them more comfortable, but the result is counterproductive. Because saliva is secreted by the salivary glands, it contains substances such as amylase, which is relatively sticky. Licking the lips is like applying a layer of paste. After the water evaporates, the lips will become drier and more prone to peeling. If your lips are dry and uncomfortable, you can apply some lip balm that does not contain pigments or fragrances.

The more clothes you wear, the warmer you are? This view is too one-sided

In winter, some people wear a lot of clothes, thinking that the more they wear, the warmer they are. This view is one-sided, because the warmth of clothes is related to the thickness of the air layer inside the clothes. When you put on one piece of clothes after another, the thickness of the air layer increases, and the warmth retention also increases. But when the total thickness of the air layer exceeds 15 mm, the air convection inside the clothes increases significantly, and the warmth retention decreases. From a physiological point of view, if people wear too many and too thick clothes, the heat will cause the blood vessels in the skin to dilate, thereby increasing heat dissipation and reducing the body's ability to adapt to changes in external temperature.

Drinking white wine can keep you warm? It may get even colder

Many people think that drinking liquor in winter can help people resist the cold. The reality is that the warm feeling people get after drinking is short-lived. The heat in the human body is generated by chemical reactions of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other substances in the body when muscles move. The main components of alcohol are water and alcohol, which do not generate much heat. On the contrary, under the stimulation of alcohol, blood vessels cannot contract in time to prevent blood from transporting heat outward. After a large amount of body heat is lost, people will feel colder.

Is it the most comfortable to sleep with your head covered? Creating micro-airflow in the quilt is the best way to feel comfortable

On cold nights, many people like to sleep with their heads covered by a blanket. This is neither hygienic nor comfortable. When sleeping with your head covered, in addition to breathing difficulties and dizziness caused by lack of oxygen, the large amount of water vapor exhaled from the mouth also increases the humidity in the blanket sharply, quickly destroying the good microclimate in the blanket, and the skin all over the body will become uncomfortable.

Medical meteorology experts have found that the most comfortable microclimate in bed requires a micro-airflow of 0.2 meters per second. Such a small wind speed has almost no sense of wind blowing on the human body, and it is difficult to adjust. Generally speaking, as long as the quilt is not wrapped into a "cylinder" when sleeping, there is a certain space between the quilt and the body, and there are 1 to 2 small gaps between the quilt pad and the cover below the shoulders, the "micro-airflow" standard for human body comfort can basically be achieved.

In winter, nourishing the lungs and moistening the dryness should be balanced.

In winter, many people will choose to eat a lot of warming foods to resist the cold winter. Experts remind that we should not blindly eat foods that are easy to cause internal heat, such as hot pot, beef and mutton, just because the temperature drops. Therefore, "winter tonic" should be selected according to the actual situation and different people, such as clear tonic, warm tonic, small tonic, and large tonic. Don't "tonic" blindly. "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" says "nourishing yin in autumn and winter", so the most important thing to nourish yin and yang is to eat more cabbage, white fungus, glutinous rice, mutton, pears, kiwis and other tonic foods, but the combination should be reasonable and the nutrition should be balanced.

Dietary combination: grains, vegetables, fruits and meat are all necessary

Grains: Drinking hot porridge in winter is a good choice for health preservation. For example, sesame porridge can nourish essence and yin, radish porridge can help digestion and resolve phlegm, walnut porridge can nourish yin and consolidate essence, Poria porridge can strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach, and jujube porridge can nourish qi and nourish yin.

1. Red Dates and Sesame Porridge: Red Dates and Sesame Porridge is made by cooking red dates and sesame seeds together. In winter, it can not only help pregnant women replenish iron, but also aid digestion for the elderly and replenish blood for women.

2. Laba porridge: In some places in the north, there is a habit of making Laba porridge in winter. Traditional Laba porridge uses yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, water chestnut rice, chestnuts, red cowpeas, red dates, etc. It contains a variety of grains and is rich in nutrients, which helps to increase calories and nutrition.

3. Millet and wheat kernel porridge: It is cold in winter, and many people with stomach problems will feel very uncomfortable. Drinking some millet and wheat kernel porridge is very good. Millet can nourish the stomach, and wheat kernels are rich in plant protein, minerals, etc., which are very beneficial for winter tonic.

Vegetables: In addition to warming the body in winter, you should also eat more vegetables to relieve greasiness, coolness and dryness, and achieve the effect of nourishing yin.

1. Celery: Celery is not only rich in iron ions but also has the effect of lowering blood pressure and clearing blood lipids. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it is cool in nature, sweet and non-toxic, and can promote appetite, and has the effect of removing phlegm and lowering blood pressure.

2. Radish: As the saying goes, "Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer" and "Eating radish in winter is better than ginseng". In traditional winter health preservation, it is best to eat seasonal foods. Winter is a good time to eat radish, which has the good effects of clearing away heat, promoting body fluid, stimulating appetite and strengthening the spleen, and relieving gas and resolving phlegm.

3. Cabbage: There is a saying: "No vegetable is worse than cabbage" and "Cabbage and tofu keep you safe". In winter, the weather is dry, and eating more cabbage can nourish yin and moisten dryness, protect skin and beautify the skin. Chinese cabbage is warm in nature and sweet in taste. It enters the spleen and stomach meridians, and has the effects of warming the stomach and replenishing qi, dispelling cold and preventing wind. It has an improving effect on cold pain in the stomach, fear of cold in the abdomen, pain in the lower abdomen, and constipation. Don't throw away the cabbage stalks just because they don't taste as good as the cabbage heart. In fact, the nutritional value is also very high, and it is good for stir-frying or making stuffing.

4. Scallion: Scallion is spicy and warm in nature. It has the effect of sweating, warming the middle and removing cold. It is mainly used for exogenous wind-cold, fever and chills, headache and nasal congestion, cough, coughing up white sputum, chest tightness and shortness of breath and other respiratory symptoms.

Fruits: From a nutritional perspective, fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as phytochemicals with antioxidant effects. These nutrients are beneficial in delaying aging, preventing cancer, and can clear away heat and detoxify, purify blood, and resist oxidation, thereby maintaining good health.

1. Pears: According to traditional Chinese medicine, pears have the functions of promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, clearing away heat and reducing internal heat, and are most suitable for patients with fever and internal heat in winter. However, eating pears directly in winter is too cold, so you can stew them with longan, red dates, wolfberries, etc. to drink in a syrup.

2. Apple: As the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apples can nourish the spleen, nourish the stomach yin, moisten the lungs and soothe the heart, and are known as the health protector of the cardiovascular system. Moreover, apples can be stewed with lilies, wolfberries and white fungus to remove coldness and have a nourishing effect.

3. Kiwi: Kiwi is known as the "king of vitamin C" and has a very high content of vitamin C. The rich dietary fiber can promote heart health, help digestion and microcirculation, thereby improving immunity; it also has the good effects of promoting body fluid and moistening dryness, relieving fever and relieving restlessness.

4. Grapes. Grapes can replenish qi and produce essence, and can nourish the liver and kidneys.

Meat: In winter, people usually eat ginger duck, mutton hotpot, yam stewed pork ribs and other medicinal foods to "replenish the winter", which can replenish the middle qi, nourish yin and replenish yang. However, eating too much meat will increase the burden on the digestive and metabolic organs, so a reasonable diet is required. Eat less fatty meat, and choose some poultry, fish and mutton that are easy to digest and absorb and have low fat content.

1. Lamb: Lamb is the first choice for tonic during the Beginning of Winter. Lamb is warm and warms the stomach, and has much less fat and cholesterol than pork and beef. Chinese medicine believes that lamb is hot in nature, enters the spleen and kidney meridians, and has the effects of warming the kidneys and assisting yang, strengthening the waist and bones, and replenishing the essence and blood.

2. Pigeon meat: As the saying goes, "One pigeon is better than nine chickens", which shows that the nutritional value of pigeon meat is very high. Drinking two bowls of pigeon soup in the coldest time of the year can protect the liver and kidney, replenish qi and blood, and resist the winter cold.

3. Fish: Fish is not only nutritious but also low in fat. Its protein content is twice that of pork and is easily absorbed by the human body. Therefore, in addition to eating some red meat, you can also stew more nourishing fish soup in winter. In winter, sea bass is plump and delicious. It contains rich and easily digestible protein, fat, vitamin B2, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, iron, selenium, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that sea bass is warm in nature and sweet in taste. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, nourishing the liver and kidneys, and relieving cough and reducing phlegm.

There is a "three-point" method for winter health preservation

First, drink more water. Experts say that since the beginning of winter, the number of patients suffering from dry throat, itchy skin, and nosebleeds has increased significantly. Under normal circumstances, the human body evaporates a lot of water every day. After heating, the indoor temperature is dry, and the water loss is even greater. If you stay in such an environment for a long time, the body will naturally be prone to the above problems.

Experts suggest that although sweating and urination decrease in winter, water is still needed to maintain the normal functioning of cells in the brain and various organs of the body. Therefore, you should pay attention to drinking more water in autumn and winter to maintain your health.

Secondly, sweat a little. Experts say that in winter, the weather is cold and people tend to shrink and reduce their exercise, but moderate exercise is still necessary for health preservation in winter. You need to move your muscles and bones appropriately and sweat a little, so that you can strengthen your body.

"Physical exercise should be a combination of movement and stillness. Yoga practice should be based on heat or slight sweating. You can also insist on soaking your feet in warm water until you sweat slightly, but not too much. On the one hand, excessive sweating will deplete your energy, which is contrary to the principle of storing yang energy in winter. On the other hand, it will make you susceptible to colds," said the expert.

Third, go to bed early. According to experts, Sun Simiao, a famous medical scientist in the Tang Dynasty, said: "In winter, it is not advisable to go out early in the morning and return late at night, as it will offend the cold." Going to bed early can nourish Yang Qi, and getting up late can consolidate Yin essence. Therefore, in winter, you must ensure adequate sleep, which is beneficial to the hidden Yang Qi and the accumulation of Yin essence; remember to "nourish" in your daily life in winter.