4 Reasons I Love Living in a Cool House. Saving Money has Nothing to Do with It
IV — It stimulates my productivity and performance!
Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice and is a personal experience that does not apply to everyone. Only your doctor can recommend an adequate temperature for you. “The WHO’s 2018 guidelines give a strong recommendation that a minimum of 18 °C (64 °F) is a “safe and well-balanced indoor temperature to protect the health of general populations during cold seasons”, while a higher minimum may be necessary for vulnerable groups including children, the elderly, and people with a cardiorespiratory disease and other chronic illnesses”-Wikipedia
I’ve been a heat-loving creature since I was a kid, and I raved about moving to some “Palm Beach” permanently. I was fascinated by the big ocean waves, exquisite green palm trees, and lots of sun and warmth.
Uh-h!..
In fact, it was life circumstances that forced me to live in a chilly room.
It’s more the cold chose me than I chose it.
But in recent years my research into the effects of cold on health has fundamentally changed my mind about it.
I’m sure my findings on this topic will help some of you to love the cold more, of course, if your body and mental health are tolerant to it, and if you have no medical contraindications!
Reason I — Cancer Prevention
I’m predisposed to certain types of cancer. Fortunately, cool temperatures slow the growth of cancer cells if they do appear.
Often people are not aware of the presence of cancer cells in their body due to the early stage of the disease.
This is why the cool temperature in the room where I spend most of my time is one of the prophylactic measures for cancer.
This effect is due to two separate and very powerful anti-cancer mechanisms:
1) Give me more BROWN FAT, please!
Scientists from Karolinska Institutet in their studies on mice and humans have found that cooler room temperature promotes the deposition of so-called brown fat, which competes with cancer cells for glucose, inhibiting its uptake by the latter.
Glucose is very necessary for cancer cells to grow and spread, so cancer cells will not be happy to “live in the neighborhood” of brown fat.
Brown adipose tissue is a type of fat that is responsible for keeping the body warm during cold conditions.
The healthy people in the study spent 6 hours a day in shorts and T-shirts at a room temperature of 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 F), while the cancer patient preparing for chemotherapy was at a room temperature of 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 F) in light clothing.
“Interestingly, high-sugar drinks seem to cancel out the effect of cold temperatures on cancer cells, suggesting that limiting glucose supply is probably one of the most important methods for tumor suppression,” — says Yihai Cao, Professor at the Departments of Microbiology and Tumor an Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet.
According to experts involved in this study, the most comfortable temperature for most inactive people can be considered 28 degrees (82. F). But often what we find most comfortable and pleasant is not the healthiest for us.
According to another valuable study, BAT (brown fat) has additional benefits for our bodies:
- reduces your visceral fat
- normalizes blood glucose levels
- reduces fat deposition in the liver
- has a positive effect on the lipid profile
- reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
- normalizes metabolic processes in the body.
- protects the heart even in overweight people!
Of course, if chilly temperatures cause unpleasant stress in a person, the results may be different. Chronic emotional stress is definitely not healthy.
Well, I’ve grown to love the moderate cold. My reaction and attitude changed from “B-r-r! Please, somebody buy me a ticket to a warm place!” to “Hey Mr. Cold, where are you going, come back, now!”
Sometimes I even miss that invigorating state of body and mind on hot summer days. Please note. If you live in a temperate continental climate where a very warm summer is followed by a very cold winter, at first you may feel a slight discomfort from the cool air.
As said above, cold promotes the deposition of brown fat in your body. So, if you stay in a chilly room for long periods of time, your tolerance to cold will increase.
That’s what’s happening to me. As time goes on, I stop feeling the discomfort.
2) Give me more natural melatonin, please!
The second positive effect of living in a chilly room, especially during sleep, is the boost of the sleep hormone melatonin, which, in addition to its powerful anti-cancer effect.
There are synthetic melatonin supplements. According to experts, taking synthetic melatonin can have many side effects. I am a fan of safe and natural methods of melatonin stimulation.
The positive effect of a cooler bedroom on melatonin levels can be greatly reduced when you are exposed to artificial blue light from digital devices and lamps a few hours before bedtime, and with insufficient daylight, especially in people who rarely go outdoors.
Even a walk on a cloudy winter day has a positive effect on the circadian rhythm, and nighttime melatonin levels, which determines the correct functioning of many body systems.
This effect cannot be fully replaced by artificial light sources!
Reason II — Speaking of the immune system
For the last 10 years, I’ve had two colds. In the first case, I drank a very cold drink. The second incident happened to me when I went out in a T-shirt into a too-frosty wind. In fact, in both cases I myself largely provoked the disease. But overall I’ve forgotten what colds are! Thank God!
As you can guess, hardening off, melatonin and brown fat play a big part in that. Keep in mind that we are talking about safe room temperatures for most healthy people in the range of 16–22°C, (depending on whether you’re asleep or awake and what you’re wearing).
Reason III- Improving brain performance while working
I find it much easier to concentrate on intellectual work in a chilly room than in a warm one. Right now my room thermometer shows a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. This is the optimal temperature for maximum cognitive performance!
But gradually, as my body produces more of the valuable brown fat, a room temperature of 18 °C becomes quite tolerable for me.
It is a nice temperature for productive work, because I feel moderate stress in my body, which prevents me from relaxing and getting lazy, as it happens in a warm “greenhouse” environment.
When I am comfortable and warm, I am distracted from work. I want to eat, sleep, and have sex, but not work!
The coolness in a good way stimulates me to move my brain
Scientists have found that moderate stress improves brain function, in particular, memory (more pronounced in men) and Concentration Performance.
Of course, in the winter, the temperature on my thermometer rarely rises above 18–19 degrees even in the daytime, and sometimes it’s only 16 °C, but this can be easily solved by putting on a warm sweater and a second pair of socks (I don’t wear shoes in my house).
Reason IV — The cold makes me feel good about life!
This is very subjective and depends a lot on your mindset, health, and attitude towards stressors.
It is the cold that makes me miss the warm summer weather, and in turn, the hot weather makes me miss the winter cold. If I had a stable temperature year-round, I wouldn’t feel the joy of the changing seasons.
“…Without winter, there would be no summer” — John Chrysostom
This means that it is the joy after moderate voluntary stress, and nostalgic boredom that makes our lives brighter. What’s more, they raise our dopamine levels to a safe level. After all, dopamine is the hormone of passionate desire and intense anticipation, not pleasure as some resources write about it. I am not tempted to try drugs, cigarettes, and similar stimulants, in part because I miss the simple things that are ordinary for many people in the developed West.
Without these moderate stressors, life begins to feel dull, bland, and “gray”!
I wouldn’t feel the same thrill in a warm room as I do when I go to bed on a cold evening and warm myself under a blanket.
I wouldn’t feel the pleasant warming effect of hot tea or coffee if I lived in a warm room!
Warming up by a wood stove is a real joy only in a chilly room.
By the way. I recently wrote an article on why people who have undergone radiotherapy or have respiratory illnesses should avoid wood smoke and vapors. I highly recommend you read it.
At the end of my story, I want to confess something to you. Sometimes I wish I had more warmth. When that happens I remind myself of the many positive changes in my body and life that I shared with you above. It gives me a positive boost and I start enjoying the cold again. Our mindset and beliefs can shift the direction of our lives.
What about Palm Beach, its sunshine and palm trees you ask?
Palm Beach is gorgeous, but at this point, I’d totally prefer my chilly room, and…