How to stay warm this freezing January – a cuppa ☕ won’t help

A cup of tea won’t keep you warm – survey reveals how many things we do that actually make us more cold

As temperatures are set to dip to a chilly minus 4 in London this week, Brits will be doing all they can to retain their heat, but a new survey shows they might not know the best ways to do this.

According to a survey of 2,000 Brits from outdoor clothing company TOG24.com, in the UK we’re not all that well informed. In fact, as many as 70% of people still believe the old wives’ tale that most of the human body’s heat escapes through the head. Alongside this, eight out of ten people also mistakenly believe that having a hot shower warms you up and seven out of 10 are wrong in their assumption that drinking a hot drink will increase your body temperature.

Rather than just chucking on a coat, at home or outdoors, it’s best to layer up. According to the research 63% of Brits know that it’s better to wear three thin layers rather than one big coat.

Taking inspiration from outdoor adventuring, the three-layer system is designed to keep you dry and warm. It features a base layer for removing moisture, a mid-layer to keep you warm and an outer layer to protect you from the elements.

Jane Bolton, MD of ski company Ernalow.co.uk, comments: “You can still find high quality and good looking gear without breaking the bank if you look in the right place. TKMaxx has a great selection of jackets from well known brands. Plus if you have a dig around for long enough you’ll even find a selection of ski pants heavily reduced from over £100 to less than £40, which are perfect for cold days in the UK as well as abroad. And don’t miss out on bargains to grab on second hand online market places too.”

Jane adds: “Don’t be too quick to throw out your old coats. It’s likely that you can extend its life with a small bit of maintenance. Try some specialist waterproofing spray, available from most outdoor shops, on your outwear to keep the weather out for another year. If the zip is broken, find a local zip repair shop or a seamstress who can replace the fastenings for just a few pounds.”

One Pair is enough

You may think that the more socks the better, but this actually isn’t the case. If you wear two pairs of socks the second pair compresses your feet, cutting off circulation and making your feet colder than they would be with a single pair. When in extreme cold temperatures, this impaired body flow makes your feet even more vulnerable to frostbite.

It’s an important thing to understand, as the survey showed 70% of Brits wrongly believed that two pairs of socks are better than one.

Jane adds: “You don’t want to buy used socks, thermals and gloves if you can help it. It’s the equivalent of second hand shopping for underwear, unpleasant at the best of times! Retailers like Lidl and Aldi often fill their middle isles with reasonably priced socks and thermals for all the family. And you can find warm winter layers in H&M too.”

Top hat and tales

The old wives’ tale that most of the human body’s heat is lost through your head isn’t exactly true, as the head is just 10% of the body’s total surface area. If it were true it means you would need to lose about 40 times as much heat per square inch of your head as every other part of your body, just to lose 75% of your body’s heat through the head. It simply isn’t the case.

So, whilst it’s still important to wear a hat, this shouldn’t stop you appropriately layering everywhere else. Unfortunately the survey showed that 70% of people do still believe this old wives’ tale.

Don’t stick your coat on around the house before you go out

It may be a famous line from Peter Kay, but it actually rings true. And thankfully 55% of Brits were aware of this according to the survey. If you keep your coat on indoors, it makes it harder for your body to shed heat from your core. Warm blood is then pumped from your core to your skin to compensate which causes your skin temperature to rise. When you then go outside, the air will feel colder on the exposed skin than it would otherwise have done, since the difference in temperature is now greater.

You can go out with wet hair

Whilst going out with wet hair might make you feel cold and uncomfortable, you can’t catch a cold. Viruses that are transmitted through bodily fluids cause colds, flu and Covid. To be infected with these viruses, you need to come into contact with someone already infected – wet hair in cold temperatures simply isn’t a factor. Thankfully, 61% of Brits are already aware of this.

Think twice about what you drink

Hot drinks or alcohol. We’ve all been there when we’re trying to warm up. And 40% of Brits believe that drinking alcohol will warm the cockles, whilst 70% think this is the case with a good old cup of tea or coffee. In fact, neither work. Alcohol opens up the blood vessels below the skin with more blood and heat flowing into them. This then takes heat away from the core of your body – it might make you feel warm in the short term as your skin is warm, but your vital organs won’t be getting enough blood to work normally.

Hot drinks may also cool you down. When you drink hot drinks, a receptor in your tongue tells your brain it’s getting hot. This then causes your body to sweat which will cool you down.

Don’t just jump in the shower

If you’re keeping the heating off, you might decide to treat yourself to a hot shower instead to warm up. And with 80% of Brits believing a hot shower will increase the body’s temperature, you wouldn’t be alone in this thinking.

But just hold off that hot shower. A warm shower stimulates the body’s thermoregulatory system, which causes blood circulation to take place away from your core to your hands and feet. This actually removes heat and causes your body temperature to go down.

Keep your bedroom cool

Yes we all want our bedrooms to be as cosy as possible, but we actually sleep better when the room is cooler. A fact that 71% of Brits are aware of.

The reasoning behind this is that a cold sleeping environment helps lower your body temperature, which makes it easier to experience deep sleep. Lower temperatures also help with melatonin production which means you’ll get better quality sleep too. This is why you’ll usually feel well-rested after sleeping in a cold room. So don’t unnecessarily crank that heating up in your bedroom this winter.

Mark Ward, TOG24’s Managing Director said “We’ve all seen the headlines about the cost of living crisis this winter and the rise in energy bills. It’s only natural that people want to know what else they can do to stay warm at home. But it’s so important that they have honest and reliable information on what they should or shouldn’t do. If they don’t, it could end up being more costly.

“At TOG24, our team is packed with outdoor experts that have been surviving in cold temperatures in the UK and across the world for decades. We feel it’s our duty to dispel some of the myths and give people a helping hand this winter.”

It can be tempting to pick up the cheapest items available or shop second hand for these items but you still need to be a little careful. You won’t be pleased if you end up with a poor quality jacket that soaks up moisture or doesn’t keep you warm on the cold days.