Cold, risk of hypertension. The doctor’s three tips: “Avoid large meals and alcohol”

This year’s mild autumn, marked by unusually high temperatures and pictures on social media show “off season” beaches and swimmingseems to yield to a sharp change in temperature, with early winter.

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Tips for Preventing Seasonal Illnesses

“Sudden temperature changes are now very common,” he explains Giorgio Sesti, professor of internal medicine at the Sapienza As Romanswhich confirms how our body is able to change, but which requires some attention to avoid illnesses. “You need to cover yourself appropriately, especially your hands, feet and head, which are the most exposed parts.

It seems small, but these carelessness favors illnesses,” warns Sesti, advising to prepare gloves, hats and socks to protect yourself.

Our body has adaptation mechanisms, adds the expert, especially at the circulation level. However, to expose yourself to the cold it is necessary to do so gradually and with the right clothes. “The organism is intelligent and knows how to change from a rotational perspective,” specifies Sesti, but some people, such as those who suffer from high blood pressure, need to be careful. “Those who take antihypertensives may need to change their medicine, and they should consult their doctor to check their blood pressure and see if there is a need to change the dose,” said the expert.

Who is most at risk?

For healthy people, a drop in temperature is not a problem, but young children and the elderly need to be more carefulbecause, as Sesti explains, “they have a blood circulation regulatory system that is not mature, in children, and age, in the elderly.” Nutrition also plays an important role: too much food requires more blood to digest, reducing the blood used to heat the body. AND alcohol, although it gives an initial impression of heat, is actually a vasodilator and leads to an immediate cooler feeling afterwards. “It’s good to take a little precaution: hot drinks, in addition to being comfortable, are useful for warming the body,” concluded Sesti, remembering how a simple attention can help to face the cold which is to come.