Cold and drafty buildings and homes can be unpleasant to live in, affecting the overall quality of health and comfortability. With winter approaching and bringing with it biting winds, icy sidewalks, and snow, it’s important to make sure buildings are properly heated and are ready to keep the elements out. While checking the house for drafts and updating the central heating, consider these reasons to make sure it’s properly heated this season.
1- Helps the Lungs and Heart Function
There are a number of risks that can affect and deteriorate the body’s health if the temperature of the home is too low. Cold air can irritate the lungs and increase coughing, soreness, and asthma flare-ups. The body needs a safe temperature to maintain healthy function, and if the home is too cold, the lungs will become irritated and the heart will work overtime to pump blood around the body.
Prolonged exposure to cold air can worsen heart diseases and increase the risk of respiratory infections. Staying outdoors during the winter for prolonged periods of time can lead to strokes, frostbite, and death, and having a home that isn’t properly heated can cause similar health issues indoors.
2- Provides Respite from the Dangerous Cold
Homes are meant to be safe havens from the harmful elements that can’t be lived in. During the summer, they provide shade and shelter from the boiling heat and tumultuous storms that frequently rage. During the winter, they should maintain a temperature higher than the outside in order to protect the delicate equilibrium inside the human body. Hypothermia is a serious condition that can be marked early by the presence of shivering and fatigue, loss of coordination, and confusion.
The later stages include blue skin, losing consciousness, and the possibility of losing heavily affected limbs. Heavy blankets and layers of clothing aren’t enough to fully protect the body if a home is too cold. Proper heating is a requirement to maintain safety and the body’s health.
3- Protects Occupants at Higher Risk
Those at higher risk of disease and sickness like children, the elderly, those with disabilities, and pets all experience the cold in worse degrees than healthy adults. By maintaining too low of a temperature in the home, at-risk populations are more likely to get sick and experience worse symptoms than others, leading to the potential for life-threatening circumstances.
4- Maintains Healthy Living Standards
Changing the home’s environment can lead to serious changes in every aspect of the occupants’ lives. They may have more trouble falling asleep, exercising, getting up on time for work, controlling their emotions, and more. Constantly living in an uncomfortable temperature can lead to always having cold feet or never wanting to leave the bed or hot shower. The equilibrium of the body and its regular daily schedule is maintained and assisted by the balance present in the home.
It’s essential to the health and prosperity of every individual in a home to make sure it’s being properly heated during the bitter and brutal cold months of winter. Making sure the central heating is operating and ready to function constantly for the next few months while checking for any drafts or heat leaks in the home will ensure occupants are kept safe and warm.