The cold wave "sweeping the screen", the elders need to guard against the cold
Text: Zhong Kui, All Media Reporter of Guangzhou Daily
Two waves of cold waves come one after another, avoid "walking on snow to find plums"
One week ago, the New Year’s Eve "cliff-style" cooling had frozen people into dogs. This time the "Overlord" cold wave made people cry even more.
Generally speaking, the coldest days of the number of cold days starting from the winter solstice are "39 days" and "49 days".
This year seems to be no exception, but the cold wave is earlier than in previous years.
The previous New Year's Eve cold wave occurred during the "Twenty Nineth" period (December 30 last year to January 7th this year). This "Overlord" cold wave also started on the last day of the "Twenty Nineth" period.
In the Qing Dynasty, there was a "Nine Nine Songs" sing: "Two nine snowflakes fly all over the sky, and Meng Haoran freezes to death in search of plum blossoms; Han Yu chased Changli County, and the snow embraced Languan and the horse was not moving forward."
Although Meng Haoran did not froze to death on the way to find plum blossoms in the snow, and Han Yu crossed Lantian Pass safely in the wind and snow, it showed that the cold wave of the "29th" cold wave was also very lethal.
And these two cold waves made people feel particularly cold.
Meteorological experts analyzed that the reason why it was so cold was that, on the one hand, the interval between the two cold waves was short. One wave just stopped, and before it had time to warm up, one wave rose again, so it became worse and colder.
On the other hand, these two cold waves are part of the main body of the polar vortex going south and passing through Siberia, making the temperature of the cold air masses lower and cooling capacity stronger.
Young and middle-aged people can withstand such a powerful cold wave, but for the elderly, it is a hurdle that is difficult to overcome.
When a person is over 65 years old, especially in his old age, it is very dangerous to cool down in winter "cliff-style".
Various statistics at home and abroad show that December to February of the following year is the time with the highest morbidity and mortality for the elderly.
When the monthly average temperature in winter drops by 1°C, the mortality rate will increase accordingly, and there is a one-month lag effect.
In other words, after the temperature drops this month, we still have to take precautions next month.
Cold is terrible, but what old people are really afraid of is not cold, but other diseases that may be induced by cold weather.
According to survey data, there are two main "threats" to the health of the elderly in winter: one is cardiovascular disease and the other is respiratory disease.
Under the stimulation of cold air, the human body will usually contract blood vessels and increase blood pressure in a short time.
Compared with young people, it is more difficult for the elderly to maintain the core temperature in a cold environment. When the temperature decreases, blood vessels constrict and increase blood viscosity, which may trigger thrombosis.
The lungs of the elderly are poor in cold resistance. Even if they are careful to keep warm, inhaling cold air will increase the risk of bronchitis and pneumonia.
In addition, winter is a period of high incidence of influenza, and a small cold and cough is also unbearable for the elderly.
Some elderly people with osteoporosis are prone to fractures in winter.
Many people think that most elderly people fall outdoors.
This is not the case. Most falls actually happen indoors.
A few days ago, when the cold wave hit, the CCTV News Channel reminded the elderly: in extreme cold weather, especially when snowstorms occur, try to minimize going out, and pay attention to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, falls, fractures and other accidents. damage.
Eat warm, go to bed early, move slowly, feet warm, heart calm, and wait for spring to bloom
In order to prevent diseases and accidents that are prone to occur in winter, elderly people should pay attention to the following issues in their daily lives:
1. Drink more water as it gets colder.
Less going out does not mean that the body consumes less water. If you drink less water, the blood viscosity will be higher, which will easily lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
2. The focus of cold and warm protection is the head and feet.
The head dissipates the most heat, "cold grows from under the feet".
3. The bath water should not be too hot.
Too hot bath water will significantly dilate blood vessels in the skin, leading to cardiac ischemia and hypoxia.
If cold air enters the room, it will constrict the blood vessels. The heat and cold will stimulate blood pressure and heart rate.
It is recommended to rinse your feet with hot water before bathing.
4. Get up slowly.
The cardiovascular system is the most vulnerable in the early morning, and it is easy to cause accidents after waking up.
Do not walk too hard.
5. Open windows regularly every day for ventilation.
Closed doors and windows in winter are prone to symptoms such as dry mouth and sore throat.
It is recommended to open windows for ventilation for a period of time in the morning, noon, and night.
From the perspective of TCM health preservation, the elderly should eat warm in winter, go to bed early, move slowly, warm their feet, calm their hearts, and spend more time in the sun, waiting for the warmth of spring to bloom after winter.