Myth: You lose most of your body heat through your head.

[Coldspring]

My brain is SO SLOW that I sure don't want it to freeze up!

[KerMegan]

hmm- then why does frostbite strike preferentially at hands and feets and not head? they are all extremities with roughtly equal surface areas and insultaions..in fact hands and feet tend to be covered more completely than head, yet still get Fb sooner..
KM (yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial...)

[PuckerFactor]

KM, that would support the lose-more-heat-from-the-head theory, since there's obviously enough heat being produced to stave off frostbite.

Acer

[Knotty]

Another thing to consider when looking at heat lost through the head is breathing. Think of all the heat exchange occurring in the sinuses and lungs. I wouldn't doubt if a large percentage of "head" heat loss doesn't occur this way.

[Rockdawg69]

All I know is that I no longer have any natural insulation on the top of my head, so yeah, it gets cold. The good news is that my eardrums and nasal passages no longer get cold. Apparently, the eardrums and nasal passages must become very sensitive to cold among men as they age since the body decided at some point to relocate all the hair on the top of my head to my ears and nose!

For the record, aging sucks!

Amen and Amen!!!!

[Cannibal]

hmm- then why does frostbite strike preferentially at hands and feets and not head? they are all extremities with roughtly equal surface areas and insultaions..in fact hands and feet tend to be covered more completely than head, yet still get Fb sooner..
KM (yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial...)

Oooo, I can answer that one as a frostbite victim!

It's just physiology. When the body is cold it pulls the blood away from the surface and extremities. It fights (sometimes) too hard to keep the core, which includes the brain holder, warm by pulling the blood back in an effort to prevent spending energy to heat it. Overall to sustaining life, the body doesn't put much effort into hands and feet. Add the fact that it is more likely that you'll be sticking your hands or feet into something cold, like water, than it is you'll be dipping your head into a snowbank. Unless, you are just learning how to snowshoe. In that case, the odds of your head getting planted in a snowbank are significantly higher.

[Pak-Man]

Oooo, I can answer that one as a frostbite victim!

It's just physiology. When the body is cold it pulls the blood away from the surface and extremities. It fights (sometimes) too hard to keep the core, which includes the brain holder, warm by pulling the blood back in an effort to prevent spending energy to heat it. Overall to sustaining life, the body doesn't put much effort into hands and feet. Add the fact that it is more likely that you'll be sticking your hands or feet into something cold, like water, than it is you'll be dipping your head into a snowbank. Unless, you are just learning how to snowshoe. In that case, the odds of your head getting planted in a snowbank are significantly higher.

First off, you are dead right on the physiology.

Secondly, I hate it when you guys make me laugh outloud at work.. STOP IT..

"dirt"

[animalcontrol]

KM (yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial...)

interesting, I've never seen you at any of the company holiday parties!

[millarky]

I watched a program last spring on Nova? Discovery? about an army study done with an engineer and a soldier in full battle dress. The soldier was placed in a room and extreme heat pumped in for 30 minutes. The soldier looked to be in distress when the engineer came in with a wrist cooling system. The soldier cooled down and even tolerated the heat after about 3 minutes. The room was then chilled to the point where the soldier was shivering and losing mental capacity. Again the engineer to the rescue with wrist warming technology and the soldier recovered quickly. All that convinced me that warming/cooling the wrists (and actually the back of the knees as well) is very effective in addition to a good hat. I've been eying Grizz's wrist warmer video with interest!

[Mule]

Oooo, I can answer that one as a frostbite victim!

It's just physiology. When the body is cold it pulls the blood away from the surface and extremities. It fights (sometimes) too hard to keep the core, which includes the brain holder, warm by pulling the blood back in an effort to prevent spending energy to heat it. Overall to sustaining life, the body doesn't put much effort into hands and feet. Add the fact that it is more likely that you'll be sticking your hands or feet into something cold, like water, than it is you'll be dipping your head into a snowbank. Unless, you are just learning how to snowshoe. In that case, the odds of your head getting planted in a snowbank are significantly higher.

I agree with Cannibal. However, it's abosolutely necessary to keep your body core and brain warm. True, from what I have read, the brain will cut off blood supply to the hands and feet first, then the limbs in order to keep the vitals within living temps. When I feel my hands or feet getting cold, I cover my head and my shoulders for sure. Much blood is pumped to the head and it does lose a lot of heat, also your shoulders.