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Yes, you can't get frost bite above freezing; just a heck of a lot of goosebumps and for some people, purple skin.
Oh, I forgot to mention... I've had my fingers lose most of their feeling when I tried to "tough out" the pain for an hour when it was 48 F and raining, once when I was boating with a friend. It's probable that body parts can suffer serious damage by going without significant blood flow. It's possible that I could have lost my fingers, or some of their functioning had let them stay that cold.
How long would it take for damage? I don't know. Perhaps I did damage them a bit while boating in late August.
I think the with frostbite the damage can be more severe however, since ice crystals form in some part of the body.
Still below freezing weather can be dangerous with "proper clothing" because if all that's protecting you is an insulating material, (versus one that also produces heat) if some of your skin surface isn't giving off much heat, the insulating material will chill to almost ambient temperature.
This isn't too much an issue above 25 F but below 20 F the effects can be very significant, depending on the individual.
Basically, "warm clothing" isn't warm unless the person who's wearing it is already warm.
Last edited by ColdCanadian; 11-22-2006 at 08:17 PM..
They are both dangerous. With cold, you need to make sure no skin is exposed, and with heat, you need to be relaxed and fairly inactive. To me, it is MUCH easier to cool off! I guess it all depends on each individual, but the way I see it, if you're extremely hot, staying wet and with air circulating does the trick. If it's not a matter of a power outage, just get to the ac or a fan & you'll be cool in about a minute if you're wet, which you probably would be from sweat if you're that hot! Especially if it's humid. Honestly, I never understand how someone who is wet & has some sort of air blowing on them doesn't cool down quickly! Obviously if it's too hot for you, don't exercise or do anything that requires exertion!
Now if it's too cold, you're screwed! You can only put on so many layers before it becomes impossible to move! I know - it happened to me the other night! That's when I finally broke out the space heater!
It's the same idea with cold - cover yourself, put on heat, drink/eat something hot, (Oh! I forgot that under heat - drink something cold!!!) and DO exercise/exert yourself! The prob is - if you're tired or actually trying to sleep, you've removed the options of eating/drinking or exercise/exertion.
So you better have some d*mn good heat because everyone knows cold air is heavier than hot air & that sh*t just don't go away!!!
Ever notice when a room is air conditioned, the WHOLE ROOM is cold? Ever notice if a room is heated, there are still drafts & cold spots all over the place?
So I guess if you're hyper & awake, the cold is less dangerous, & if you're tired &/or trying to sleep, the heat is less dangerous.
In any case, I start to feel uncomfortable under 80, but I've never met a temp too high!
Now I HAVE experienced feeling overheated...When I go to bed with a thousand layers & then it warms up while I'm sleeping, I wake up with my heart pounding & I can imagine how your organs could be overused trying to cool yourself off! But if I'm SWEATING, I cool off in a minute!
Also I probably AM overheating!
Just seems much easier to cool off than to heat up. But I do believe I'm reptilian in some way - I just don't produce body heat! If the air isn't hot, I'm cold! I'm cold blooded & nocturnal!
you are just alergic to cold it seems! I was a little cold and took a hot shower now im nice and warm! Not even wearing a shirt! I hope I become highly tolerant to the cold when I move up north to buy an affordable house! Youd probably die up north!
Honestly, I never understand how someone who is wet & has some sort of air blowing on them doesn't cool down quickly!
Well, there are many variables but definitly one of them is that fat is an insulator even when wet. So if whatever part of you is uncomfortable is "insulated" too much, I can easily understand why that body part wouldn't cool quickly.
Also about the cold rooms versus warm rooms. Elfyum, heated rooms probably seem uneven and chilled rooms might seem even if your vents for climate control are near the ceiling.
Up here when developers make homes they only put vents in on or near the floor. This makes the heated room feel an even temperature, but using the same vents it makes the floor quite cold compared to 3-5 feet up. For example, 75 F by itself is warm enough to make my fingers and toes function normally but when we have air condioning set at 78 F, the floor is colder than when we heat our house to 72 F.
you are just alergic to cold it seems! I was a little cold and took a hot shower now im nice and warm! Not even wearing a shirt! I hope I become highly tolerant to the cold when I move up north to buy an affordable house! Youd probably die up north!
You probably won't change much in tolerance; I'm evidence of that. However people's core temperatures can adjust a bit. That means your core will adjust a bit by making you hungrier and less thirsty after a few weeks at a lower temp.
But your fingers, toes, nose, ears etc. probably cannot adjust to extra heat or cold. If they are naturally warm or warm enough you'll probably be fine. Oh and word to the wise, a freezer (for food) that's set at 20 F will almost always feel a lot warmer than 20 F or even 25 F outside because there's no wind.
Calm winds seem to be uncommon up here in the colder half of the year. But if you go somewhere like WV and live in a valley that might cut the wind down for you.
If you don't mind the cold from sticking your hand in the freezer or holding frozen objects a long time you probably will breeze through a Northern winter.
My heating vents are also on the floor...and my heat is generated by propane, so it's very hot when it comes out of the vents...so..yours truly when he wants to bake warmly will grab a pillow and a blanket and plop the pillow down by the vent, throw the blanket over him and tent over the vent, and bask in the hot air captured under the blanket! Problem is...sometimes when I do that I fall asleep and suddenly wake up at 3am hot and stiff from lying on the floor and have to crawl into bed then. I'm a vent-hog.
My heating vents are also on the floor...and my heat is generated by propane, so it's very hot when it comes out of the vents...so..yours truly when he wants to bake warmly will grab a pillow and a blanket and plop the pillow down by the vent, throw the blanket over him and tent over the vent, and bask in the hot air captured under the blanket! Problem is...sometimes when I do that I fall asleep and suddenly wake up at 3am hot and stiff from lying on the floor and have to crawl into bed then. I'm a vent-hog.
Vent-hog? (lol)
My sister used to do that as a kid. She'd tarp herself up with a nightgown though. I could really feel the difference in the room from all that "lost" heat.
ColdCan - that's true - our vents are on the ceiling. I guess that makes sense considering our climate differences. That's a great idea for the heat to be in the floor! Wish I had that when I lived in NY & CO!!! Just had to freeze my ass off!!! Oh well...
But yeah, you can pretty much adjust to anything...I woke up at 8AM today!!!
If I can do THAT, ANYTHING'S possible!!!!!!!!!!
Not to mention me living almost 25 years in cold climates + another 3 in cold ass winters! (the desert gets COLD - as in TEENS in the winter!!!)
I actually used to LIKE 40's! To me that was "jean jacket weather"!!!
Now it's 4 layers & crank the heat weather!
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You can only put on so many layers before it becomes impossible to move! I know - it happened to me the other night! That's when I finally broke out the space heater! 
Problem is...sometimes when I do that I fall asleep and suddenly wake up at 3am hot and stiff from lying on the floor and have to crawl into bed then. I'm a vent-hog.
