Dream Summer
Art took over my spirit this week. As usual, my paintings are an expression feelings. In this case, I was happy that summer finally arrived and plan to make the most of my time outdoors but wondered if I will feel the same when the weather is over 100 degrees.
Hot? Cold?
Winter seemed like it would last forever. Rain, snow, and cold did not bother me at first and I even enjoyed the snow that allowed me to sled down the hill near our house. But, as March turned into April and early blooms did not appear when they usually do, I too had to fight depression. Once the cold left Portland, though, I wondered how long it would take to hear complaints about the heat.
I did not have to wait long, for parts of the country have been buried under sweltering temperatures and Portland is next, for Sunday it is expected to have a 101 degree temperature. My son and his wife took their children to Washington, DC when school ended and are surviving several weeks of a humid heat wave of similar proportions.
Our next door neighbors went to Portugal a week ago, thankfully averting the fire that killed so many people. They wrote that they spend more time than usual in their air conditioned car viewing sites rather than walking in the heat. I was saddened to hear of those in Phoenix where temperatures have reached 122 degrees. I can’t imagine what it is like to go out when the weather is that extreme and now worry that I will face a similar situation when traveling to Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest in August.
These thoughts make me curious about what it takes to adapt to changes in weather. Historically, people did not have furnaces, yet they managed to survive ice ages and treks through the Sahara Desert. The heat bothers me most for I don’t like touching another person with a sweaty body. If I lived near the equator I probably would never have had five children. I have been assured, however, that I was capable of adapting to extremes in temperature.
As early as 1847, Biologist Carl Bergman noticed that those living in hot climates have less body mass while in colder regions tend to be bulkier. Their greater density provides for more cells to produce heat. Examining the length of appendages in further studies it was noted that there is an advantage in the tropics to be slender with long limbs which assist in evaporating body heat. Those who live in humid conditions have a more difficult time perspiring and are more subject to overheating. This is why those in the tropical Africa with maximum body surface, wide noses which do not warm the air as thin ones do, dark skin to shield solar radiation, and little body fat have advantages. In dry hot climates, though,it is still advantageous to be thin, it is not to be tall for water loss is a problem is are not benefited by long limbs. In areas like at the Middle East, moderate skin pigmentation provides protection from the sun but also permits sweating.
The opposite is true in cold climates where short massive bodies, short arms and legs, flat faces, fat pads over the sinuses, heavier than average layer of body fat are favored. These adaptations allow for increased metabolic rates, minimum heat loss which in the extremities helps grade against frostbite. Narrow nasal passages protect lungs and the base of the brain. Of course, residents are helped by a diet rich in fatty foods, warm clothing and remaining active when outdoors. Moderately cold environments are slightly different for tall, stockily built individuals are favored, though a narrow nose is still favored.
Acclimatization is a physiological response to the environment that can take place within certain parameters. In cold climates, hypothermia, a drop in core body temperature, is a great danger. Normal temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit but when the body’ s heat falls to 94 degrees the natural temperature regulating system usually fails. In hot climates, it takes only a few days of having a body temperature over 105 degrees to trigger deterioration of internal organs. Though certain bodies favor living in one climate or another, adaptation can take place for those with the willpower (see last week’s blog) to mentally reset their internal thermostat.
Those moving to cold climates are advised to slowly introduce themselves to cooler situations. For example, polar explorer, “Birdie” Bowers went to the South Pole in 1911 with Robert Scott. He was described as a man able to sleep soundly in freezing conditions that were impossible for his companions. He method for adaptation started as soon as he arrived in the Antarctic by starting a routine of throwing icy buckets of water and slush over his naked body every morning. During his first icy excursion in July, he successfully collected three Emperor Penguin Eggs before returning to home base. Unfortunately, acclimatization did not allow him to survive a November expedition to the South Pole, for all members of the team died during a March blizzard when a dog relief team failed to show up.
Early missionaries found that the natives of Tierra del fugal at the tip of South American were unclothed even during frigid cold winters. The women swam in 48 degree waters when hunting for shell fish, and families often slept in the open, unsheltered and unclothed. To provide a barrier against the elements they smeared themselves with seal oil. Moving about without shoes they occasionally wrapped their naked bodies in an animal skin on bitterly cold days.
Many studies show that repeated exposure to cold usually results in increased tolerance, a situation which I can anecdotally confirm. When first moving to Lansing, Michigan, I found the cold to be intolerable. Boston winters were never as severe and I thought I would never leave the warmth of my fireplace. After several years, however, I adjusted and loved leaving home to cross country ski after the children were in bed even though the temperature was well below freezing. My husband and I went north for a vacation during the coldest week of the year in order to ski on frozen rivers and drink hot chocolate in nearby inns.
I did jump into a snow melt river in Colorado once and was surprised at how my body adapted. I did not take more than five minutes before I had to get out, but when dry, my body felt hot. I tingled all over and was invigorated as we hiked on.
It is important to be careful when ice swimming, for there are instances of people jumping into cold water to have a heart attack and die. Before entering an ice pond, consider getting used to cold water by lowering body temperature with cold showers and starting with short icy immersions. If you plan to do it often a diet of fatty foods is advisable.
Doug Strain, a man I greatly admired, was a conscientious objector during WWII. He was recruited to participate in a military experiment to study how much food is needed if you you have a lowered body temperature. Each day, subjects were put in a meat freezer without jackets. In the evening, they were allowed out and when sent to bed they were not allowed to use blankets. The subjects needed a tremendous amount of food to maintain body weight. Doug mentioned, that though they ate as much as they wanted, everyone lost pounds. H concluded with a smile, “that an entrepreneur could make a lot of money by starting a freezarium for weight loss.”
Now that summer is here my desire is to be able to adjust to warmth as quickly as possible. The Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut reports that it takes 7-14 days for the body to adapt to heat. Once it does there will be positive bodily adjustments such as a reduced heart rate, changed skin temperature responses, and a different perception of exertion. The institute stresses the importance of acclimatizing to hot weather slowly, resting between exertions, increasing salt intake, and taking breaks to avoid overheating. They recommend that meal should be small before exercise and that water intake be increased. Athletes especially need to pay attention to these warnings, and those who do, are likely to find themselves with improved blood pressure and a greater ability to handle heat stress during exercise.
References.
Cool Antartica, Cold Acclimation and Acclimatization in Humans- Science of the Cold.
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/cold_acclimation_human.php
Adapting to Climate Extremes,
Heat Acclimatization, Korea Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut,
http://ksi.uconn.edu/prevention/heat-acclimatization/
Climatic Adaptation, Physical Anthropology, writtten by editors of Encyclopedia Britannica,
Kelly, James, In Search of Paradise Lost in Tierra del Fuego, 2017, Earth island Journal,
Art is always for sale. Dream Summer is and acrylic painting on deep canvas / 24” by 20” /
$ 450.for sale / contact marilynne@eichingerfineart.com for information.