Winter Ailments to Watch Out for This Season

Foggy mornings with piping hot ginger tea and samosas - the winter is finally here and in full swing. For most of us, winter means warm, comfortable and stylish clothes, stepping out, and celebrating Christmas and New Year. It also means loads of gifts and greetings exchanged with our loved ones. However, for a select few, winter means diseases. 

You see, during winter, the body heat falls as the air around us cools. Our body is trying to adjust to the new climate. As a result, the change in the process causes a lot of people to fall prey to diseases. Well, whatever the case, here are some common winter diseases that occur during the winter and that can ruin your holidays. 

1. Sinusitis

You move your head left, and it aches. You move your head right, and it aches even more. You try looking down - the pain envelops your whole head, and it feels as if something is going to burst out of your skull. Such is the nature of sinusitis. If you are unlucky enough to contract this disease, then bad luck - your head isn't going to stop aching anytime soon. Congestion, coughing, headaches, and a runny nose. 

Sinusitis happens when your home remains closed without any proper ventilation. Make sure that sinusitis does not affect you. That all-too-familiar pain or pressure in your face and cheeks, runny nose, a cough that worsens at night, fatigue and more. What causes sinusitis? Usually a cold or a flu, but don't discount allergies, nasal problems and other diseases. Visit your healthcare provider - they can diagnose sinusitis and give you antibiotics, saline nasal sprays, pain relievers, heat pads and vaporizers. 

During winter, the elderly really suffer. Their joints cannot take the cold and start hurting terribly. Ironic because no scientific evidence points to joint pain in the winter season. However, many old and young people suffer from joint pain during the winter. The most common remedy to relieve joint pain is to keep yourself and your feet warm. Try insulating yourself with two to three layers of clothing instead of one pair of extremely warm clothes. 

Exercising is a great way to get rid of joint and muscle stiffness during the winter months. Don't overdo it, though. Try basking in the sun; your joints will thank you for them. There are many reasons why joints hurt in winter. One reason is when it's cold, blood vessels in the arms and legs constrict, reducing blood flow and circulation to the joints, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in pain and stiffness. Another reason is if barometric pressure falls, tissues around the joints expand, putting pressure on them.

3. Colds and Flu

We'll wait till you finish sneezing and coughing before we tell you about this. What do you think? Colds and flu happen because of falling temperatures? Wrong. Many people suffer from bacterial or viral-induced cold and flu symptoms because their immune system isn't up to the mark. Then comes winter - when temperatures begin falling. The body starts working almost in overdrive to regulate the normal body temperature.

Try combating this by layering with warm clothes, which can assist your body in regulating temperature. How does the flu get transmitted? Flu depends on air in the environment. The common cold and flu have similar symptoms. However, there are some important differences. Flu symptoms happen rather quickly and are worse than a cold. It also comes with a headache, sore muscles and high fever. A cough and fever are more likely to indicate flu if you are an adult. 

There's no treatment for the common cold. All that happens is that it gets better on its own. Some over-the-counter medications, however, don't take any chances. If you have the flu, you must get tested, especially if you are at increased risk for worse illness.

You cough once; you cough twice. You cough so many times you wonder whether you'll ever stop coughing. This is strep throat. A bacterial infection that results in a terrible sore throat, which hurts while swallowing, painful red and swollen tonsils, fever, headache and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Bacteria that grow in the throat and tonsils can result in some really nasty symptoms for strep throat, including a sore throat that turns red. 

You might get a fever that suddenly starts and reaches its zenith on the second day. Your lymph nodes don't look like they're returning to standard size anytime soon. And then there's the rash that begins in the neck and chest and slowly spreads through the body, or red spots that occur on the roof of the mouth. 

Other slightly more serious symptoms are headache, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach pain and bad breath. Once exposed to the strep germ, symptoms appear 2-5 days after that. Visit your doctor, and they may prescribe antibiotics you might have to take for 3-5 days. Ignore strep throat at your own peril - because it can lead to more serious health issues. 

In winter, air molecules become thinner and more restricted. Because of this, poor folks suffering from respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD might find breathing harder during extreme colds. To prevent this from happening, every time you venture outdoors, please layer the face and chest with inappropriate warm clothing and some scarves. 

For many people, winter means a change in activity because of the cold and dry air that results in airways tightening and making breathing laborious. Cold air triggers asthma, and people who suffer from this ailment have it really difficult during the winter months. Bronchitis happens because the respiratory passage becomes inflamed. Both acute and chronic bronchitis may show symptoms like a common cold, but they are more severe. 

6. Heart attack

This is a little-known fact. People susceptible to heart attacks might be in the danger zone during winter. As the temperature falls, arteries get constricted, which makes it more challenging for the heart to pump blood. According to experts, people over a certain age must not exhaust themselves in winter. During the cold, blood thickens and gets stickier, which leads to clots. 

Also, during winter, we get way less sunlight than in summer - this leads to a lack of vitamin D, low levels of which can increase the risk of your arteries getting inflamed. During winter, we are a little more sedentary. During this time, it is prudent to reduce alcohol and carbonated drinks. Try maintaining your blood pressure - make sure it doesn't rise beyond a certain point because high blood pressure and cholesterol levels can put you at risk for heart disease.

This is a medical condition in which the slight arteries spasm, leading to episodes of reduced blood flow to the end arterioles. Usually, the fingers and, less commonly, the toes are involved. Sometimes, the nose, ears, lips and nipples also get affected. Because of this illness, blood flow to the extremities gets reduced. 

Your fingers and toes might turn white or blue. When blood flow returns to normal, the area might get warm, tingly or throb and turn red before eventually turning normal. This can last anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. There are two kinds of Raynaud's disease. The primary one, the more common type, has no known cause. It targets young women in their teens and twenties, with their symptoms improving over time. 

The second type is caused by another health issue like lupus or scleroderma. This type is a little more serious, and you must treat it more aggressively. Ensure you stay warm during the winter months to prevent this from happening. Keep your extremities covered. There's no guarantee that you won't get Raynaud's disease, but you'll at least be protected.

Ah. The dreaded pneumonia - this inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli. Pneumonia is a severe lung infection resulting from bacteria, viruses or fungi. It can result in fluid or pus build-up in the lung's air sacs. Symptoms can appear suddenly over 24-48 hours, or they may take some time, appearing slowly over several days. Layer up with warm clothing and exercise to prevent yourself from falling prey to pneumonia so your immune system remains healthy. 

Get a lot of rest and do not visit crowded places. You must practise good hygiene, like consuming hot food, washing your hands and wearing a medical mask. Stay away from people who have acute respiratory diseases. Ensure you cover your mouth and nose with a cloth or handkerchief when coughing or sneezing. Gargle with an antiseptic solution. 

Consume foods rich in vitamins and minerals like citrus fruits, leafy greens, nuts and seeds. Try to maintain a warm home environment by closing your windows and doors and blocking drafts. Do the needful, and you won't be affected by pneumonia. Because of this cold air, an existing cough or respiratory infection like pneumonia might worsen, resulting in symptoms like rapid breathing, shallowness, shortness of breath and fever.