If we talk more easily about tips for protecting yourself from extreme heat, fighting the cold, especially for an elderly person, is just as important, especially since with age the feeling of cold decreases and it is necessary to avoid heat loss. The oldest are also those who are most at risk of hypothermia, that is to say the lowering of the body temperature below normal. Our 4 grandmother's tips and tricks to protect yourself from the cold and fight against it.
The hot water bottle, that is to say this utensil that you fill with boiling water to heat yourself, is a grandmother's trick that has existed since the dawn of time, but which is still relevant today. The effectiveness of a hot water bottle to fight against the cold is well established!
A hot water bottle is particularly useful at bedtime when the body is no longer in action and tends to cool down more quickly. Just put her in her bed a few minutes before going to bed to enjoy gentle warmth that helps fight the cold, at least until she falls asleep.
When it's cold, the skin is put to the test! It tends to dry out and become dehydrated, even more so in older people who feel less thirsty than younger people and who therefore do not always remember to drink regularly.
If it is important to nourish your skin with fatty substances such as vegetable oils for example, or floral waters, drinking water-based decoctions is also part of our grandmothers' tips and tricks. If pure water does not appeal to you, you can add drops of rose water, honey or even aloe vera to it, for example. In the form of hot herbal teas, these drinks also provide comfort and a feeling of warmth that helps fight the cold.
Just because it's cold doesn't mean you shouldn't leave your home. On the contrary, even with low temperatures, the body needs physical activities. And walks are a good way to break isolation for older people who live alone.
When it is cold, obviously it is necessary to cover yourself well, to adopt warm but also comfortable clothes. But a grandmother's trick called the "onion technique" is to be taken into account to fight the cold well during your outings.
The onion technique is aptly named:like this bulbous plant covered with several skins, it is a question of dressing by superimposing several layers of clothing, but always favoring comfort! Thanks to these different thicknesses, layers of air form between the garments with the effect of insulating from the cold and better retaining body heat. This grandmother's trick is even more effective if you opt for clothes in contact with your body, for textiles made of cotton or made of other materials that absorb perspiration because sweat has the effect of cooling the skin.
If it is important to dress warmly for outings, to wear a hat, a scarf, it is also very important to remember to put on gloves and warm shoes because the extremities of the body are the ones that get cold the fastest.
The elderly are more sensitive to the cold, especially on these parts of their body, and in particular those who experience blood circulation problems. Precisely, to avoid the cooling of your fingers in particular, even if you wear gloves, there is a very simple grandmother's trick to fight against the cold:when you walk, make sure you do not constantly walk around your fingers. hands in your pockets, but on the contrary leave your arms free and above all make sure to swing them regularly. These very simple movements indeed improve the circulation of the blood and thus naturally produce body heat. Thanks to this simple trick, no more fingers numb from the cold!
