I Hate Winter...

[loraleena]

borderline thyroid should be treated if you have symptoms. Make sure you get you thyroid peroxidase antibodies tested (shows hashimotos) The tsh test is extremely innacurate. There should be a whole panel of tests not just one, so make sure you ask. I hate cold too. I get cold easily, but in summer I get overheated easily!!

[katrinamaria]

i hate the cold too... i literally DREAD winter... i live in iowa too(i think someone else in this post also does) and there are some days when i skip class altogether just because i don't want to walk across campus and freeze. the school i go to also "boasts" the fact that we are allegedly the 2nd windiest campus in the nation...so it's VERY cold. i wear lots of layers and keep those handwarmers in my mittens but i just can't stay warm. and once i get cold, i can't get warmed up again. i am always cold tho, i don't even use an AC in the summer unless it's over like 90 degrees and VERY humid.

i guess that wasn't much help...sorry! but i do recommend the hand warmers if you're going outside...every little bit helps i guess. i usually get them at a sporting goods type store. you just pop them out of the plastic and they heat up and stay hot for quite a few hours. if anyones has any more advice about this, keep posting...i'd love to hear!

thanks

[key]

I also can't stand winter. I end up depressed in January and February every year. Last year I started going to the tanning bed to "feel better". I can't stay warm either.

The other reason I don't like winter is that I LOVE the sun. I " worship" it when it is out. If it is a nice day out, I am out sitting in the sun all summer. Forget shopping or doing anything in doors when the sun is out.

Also come winter my kids end up sick more often. Especially Jan and Feb. So of course I look foreward to that!

Try and find some fun indoor activities to help. This is what I am doing for my kids right now.

Monica

[tarnalberry]

The other reason I don't like winter is that I LOVE the sun. I " worship" it when it is out. If it is a nice day out, I am out sitting in the sun all summer. Forget shopping or doing anything in doors when the sun is out.

That's what Open Original Shared Link is all about!

Seriously, for those who dislike/have trouble with the short/dark days, consider getting (or building, it's not hard) a light box. You need enough intensity of light, so you can't just sit under a 20W compact flourescent, but it's a very nice thing to have - and safer than a tanning bed.

[Mandy F.]

I suppose I'm horrible because I'm not a big fan of summer either... I have tree and grass allergies (that I'm growing into instead of out of) and they just keep getting worse every year. I'm supposed to start allergy shots, but probably won't start them until my next school break (my doc only does the set testing during my class time and I've already missed too much). I'm afraid of tanning beds, too. I'm afraid I'll just burn to a crisp. Hmmm... maybe I should just give up and move to AZ. Not as much grass, not as cold, and less humidity right?

[Carriefaith]

I also get really cold in the winters and this winter I will be up in Northern Alberta! This will probably be my coldest winter yet! I bought some thermal underwear to help with the situation. I got some non-itchy, non-static, wool thermal underwear bottoms and a Helly Hansen thermal shirt. I plan on getting more and wearing them all winter. I will also be wearing snow pants and my winter coat!

On PEI when it was around -25 C for 2 weeks, I wore winter boots, snow pants, a winter coat, a ski mask, and mittens and I was fine. It's all about the layers!

[almostnrn]

For all of those looking to layer clothes, I highly reccomend Cuddle Duds. I've found them everywhere from department stores to Sams club. They are soft and kind of silky but very thin and best of all warm. They work well under a long sleeve shirt or turtleneck or even dressier clothes and you don't get that "bulked up" look. On super cold days I've even found myself almost too warm. I believe these are made for men and women as well but I've never actually looked into the mens version since my husband and sons are of the always hot variety. Hope this helps!

[prinsessa]

I am another cold-blooded person. I can't stand the winter months. I don't mind the snow so much (I don't love it either), but the extreme cold (0 or less) is what I hate. My husband thinks I'm nuts because I have to always have a sweater on in the winter and even use a blanket when I'm sitting on the couch. My mom thinks I should have my thyroid tested because she said it isn't normal to be cold all the time. I also have some other symptoms of hypothyroid (lower sex drive, constantly tired, dry skin, hair loss). I keep planning on making an appointment with my doctor, but I am so busy with school right now.

I also get skin so dry and ichy that I can't shower everyday. I mentioned it to a couple people and they thought it was gross to not shower every day. I still wash up between showers, but my skin can't handle showering every day (except in the summer). My skin gets so ichy and dry that I sometimes scratch it until it bleeds. I tried using lotions and taking fish oil, but nothing helps. Anyone else get really really dry skin in the winter?

[tarnalberry]

I also get skin so dry and ichy that I can't shower everyday. I mentioned it to a couple people and they thought it was gross to not shower every day. I still wash up between showers, but my skin can't handle showering every day (except in the summer). My skin gets so ichy and dry that I sometimes scratch it until it bleeds. I tried using lotions and taking fish oil, but nothing helps. Anyone else get really really dry skin in the winter?

I used to - heating air dries it. So winter, somewhere where you use the heater a lot, will be dry. All the more so if outside isn't humid. (In Seattle, it can be 80% humidity outside in the middle of winter, and 35% - uncomfortably dry - due to the heater. Running an ultrasonic humidifier in the bedroom during winter at night helps me a fair amount.

[arc]

I tend to be colder than people around me in the winter, but a couple things have really helped me make it through winter.

First of all is to get enough vitamin D. I try to get as much sun in the summer as possible. The rest of the year, I supplement with at least 6000 IU of D3 a day. This keeps me from getting SAD and it also keeps me from getting sick (I basically never get colds anymore, even with two young kids in school). It's extremely difficult to get enough D in your diet (you would have to eat large amounts of cold water oily fish every day - the D added to milk does basically nothing). Most tanning beds and sun lamps don't help either, because the glass in the bulbs filters out the necessary UVB rays (while allowing the more harmful UVA through). More info at: Open Original Shared Link

I also used to get the really itchy skin in the winter along with large, painful cracks in my fingers and heels. The vitamin D helped some with the itchy skin, but what made it go away along with the cracks, was getting adequate fat in my diet. I switched to a more paloe type way of eating and my skin completely healed up, with no lotions or special soaps or anything. I was pretty glad because I have had those stupid cracks most of my adult life. Getting enough fat seemed to help ramp up my metabolism, so I feel a little warmer, too, though my feet and hands still tend to get cold. I think working out more and adding more lean tissue would help there, too.

Feeling cold is nice during the hot summers but it sure sucks six months out of the year.