Between the floods, the heavy rain, the gales and the cold temperatures, it can be easier said than done to keep houses and ourselves warm this January, particularly as we are watching the fuel bills. The seriousness of being too cold is highlighted when you consider that that those living in the coldest homes are three times more likely to die a preventable death than those living in warm homes!
However, there is good news – there are steps you can take to ensure you stay safe and warm for the remainder of this winter.
- Insulation – improving the insulation of your home can really help with retaining warmth. There are grants available for insulation works but in the meantime, you could use draught excluders by doors and ensure that curtains on rooms that are not being used are left drawn most of the time.
- Heavy curtains can act as an insulating blanket and many people will hang a heavy interlined curtain across the front door to minimise draughts.
- The trusty hot water bottle or electric blanket in bed ensures that your body temperature doesn’t dip when you first get into bed. If you find it chilly in the mornings, it may be time to replace the hot water bottle with an electric blanket so you can switch it back on for a little while. Never use both together.
- If you have decided to heat just part of your home, ensure that the main areas of your bedroom, bathroom, hall, kitchen and living room are kept warm.
- When we feel cold, we often don’t feel like taking some exercise but a walk around the park or to the local shop, if the weather permits, will get your circulation moving.
- Apparently, many older people are staying in bed longer in the mornings in order to stay warm. With the dark mornings, this option is certainly tempting. However, don’t overdo it – it is better to be up and about if you can.
- Wearing many thinner layers of clothes may be more efficient than 2 or 3 heavy layers so you can easily remove and add layers when you are up and about.
