The Science of Staying Warm: How Your Winter Hat Works

Did you know that if the temperature stayed at exactly 27C, the human body would lose heat at exactly the same rate that it generates heat? This would be called “thermoneutral”.

Of course, in the real world, temperatures change, but luckily our bodies have adapted to this. Most people know that sweating is our bodies’ way of cooling down in hot weather, but less commonly known is how our bodies react in the cold.

When we are cold, blood vessels near the surface of our skin become tight, forcing blood to stay deeper in our bodies. Our bodies do this to prioritize our vital organs, but it comes at a price – Have you ever noticed how your hands and feet tend to feel the coldest? That’s because your body has taken blood away from them, as it knows that organs like your heart are more important.

Finally, we have “shivering”. When your internal organs have ‘stolen’ your blood to stay warm, the body tries to generate heat by vibrating your muscles. While shivering in the cold can feel rather unpleasant, it is an important tactic as your body tries to protect itself.

To understand the importance of wearing a hat, we should first understand the 5 scientific explanations on how we lose body heat:

• Evaporation: This is through sweating, as we mentioned before.

• Respiration: Heat loss from inhaling and exhaling cold air.

• Conduction: Heat loss from contact with a cold object. This could be holding a cold drink, or even simply standing on a cold floor.

• Convection: Heat loss from wind. What actually happens during wind is that it blows away any warm air that you might have had around your skin.

But the heat loss that we’re most interested in today is… RADIATION – Heat that is lost through exposed parts of your body.

Our brains are the most important part of our body, and without a hat, our bodies will use up a lot of our energy fighting to keep our brain warm. In order to do this, our body will also sacrifice body heat in other areas.

CONCLUSION – By wearing a hat, you not only keep your head warm, but your body is then able to use energy heating up the rest of your body.

A hat does more than just keeping your head warm – Your entire body benefits!

“Stay warm this winter by ordering a stylish and practical hat from SA Boutique! We have a wide range of styles, colors, and sizes… as well as full sets with gloves and scarves included too!”