Over the past few early mornings at WinSol3 (4300ft elevation) it has been about 50F outside and I am starting to feel warm without the fire stove or dressing like an Eskimo.
After returning from spending ~20 days at the equator and 88F = 24/7, I was freezing cold at WinSol3. I remember last winter I was comfortable around 45F, and I’ve heard other people say the same. But I know that most people would feel terribly cold at 45F. A lot of that has to do with our metabolism and cold/warm bloodedness, our age, what we eat, fitness and exercise, etc.
But I’d like to espouse a whole different reason: over the last few decades, we've reset our body thermostats
But I’d like to espouse a whole different reason: over the last few decades, we've reset our body thermostats
Ever since the invention of instant on-demand heating and cooling systems, we’ve slowly weaned ourselves from our body’s automatic thermostat. We used to be fine in temperatures from 50-90F with no problem.
But nowadays, if someone from the northern zone steps off a plane in the southern zone, they'd immediately complain about the god-awful heat (and humidity). They would head for the first air-conditioned space they could find.
And then when they got back home to their northern colder climate, they would turn up the heat so they wouldn’t be too cold. You get the irony here?
It’s more psychological than physiological.
But nowadays, if someone from the northern zone steps off a plane in the southern zone, they'd immediately complain about the god-awful heat (and humidity). They would head for the first air-conditioned space they could find.
And then when they got back home to their northern colder climate, they would turn up the heat so they wouldn’t be too cold. You get the irony here?
It’s more psychological than physiological.
Let me repeat that: It’s more psychological than physiological. Notice the word ‘logical’ in each of those. Is there any basis for logic in the fact that the human body is designed with an automatic temperature control system (brain/heart and veins/arteries)? Yes! a resounding YES!
Our veins and arteries are very sophisticated heat exchangers trying to maintain 98.6F by opposing flow patterns along our skin. These are more complex than most hi-tech HVAC units. Our skin is one heck of a large absorber or adsorber temperature plate. Heck the skin actually forms beads of water on it own if it gets too hot (sweating :-)! It can serve as an alternating condenser or evaporator coil. And yet, we like to keep our outside temperature exposure within 65-75F, 24/7,365. In other words, we’ve gotten too comfortable over the years, and like to luxuriate in this narrow temperature range.
But this has allowed our body’s thermostat to go on hiatus and in some cases maybe even malfunction. I used to do this all the time myself:
Decades ago when I was logging 100k airmiles/year I used to never every take a winter coat to the far northeastern states in the dead of winter - why hassle with it? I step off the plane into a heated building, into a heating rental car, into a heated hotel, into a heated office building. In one 24 hour period i'd be lucky if I got exposed to more than 20 minutes of sub-zero outside temperatures. We've set up our environment to spoil our body's thermostat.
But this has allowed our body’s thermostat to go on hiatus and in some cases maybe even malfunction. I used to do this all the time myself:
Decades ago when I was logging 100k airmiles/year I used to never every take a winter coat to the far northeastern states in the dead of winter - why hassle with it? I step off the plane into a heated building, into a heating rental car, into a heated hotel, into a heated office building. In one 24 hour period i'd be lucky if I got exposed to more than 20 minutes of sub-zero outside temperatures. We've set up our environment to spoil our body's thermostat.
An energy saving tip: start allowing your body’s wonderfully complex and fully functioning automatic thermostat and heating/cooling adjustment system to work – on its own. Instead of heating an entire room to 70F so that your body (all of 10-20 cu.ft) can be spoiled, let it adjust on its own. Ok, so maybe you need to grab a blanket the first few days...
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It only took me ~3 days to start feeling comfortable when I first arrived (in Indonesia) at equatorial temperatures of 88F 24/7. Then it took me ~3 days of adjustments back at WinSol3 to the relatively frigid 45-60F. Had I opted for air-conditioning at the equator, or full-on heating at WinSol3 (sauna anyone?), my body would not be able to adjust so quickly.
Like an exercise/diet fitness program, we need to embark on a temperature adjustment fitness program – and just think of all the energy savings a 10-20F thermostat setting change would be on your monthly utility bill.
Like an exercise/diet fitness program, we need to embark on a temperature adjustment fitness program – and just think of all the energy savings a 10-20F thermostat setting change would be on your monthly utility bill.
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