Expert urges people not to turn heating on yet as Brits desperately try to keep warm

It’s cold. Like, really, flipping cold. And it feels so sudden too.

I swear just the other week people were strolling round in shorts and sunnies, and now we’re all itching to switch on the heating.

Looks like we’re back to the housemate divides of when to turn it on and at what temperature.

But apparently, we definitely shouldn’t be doing it just yet.

As we all desperately try and feel just a little bit toastier, an expert is warning Brits to keep the heating off for now.

An ‘online therapist and healer’ says ‘please don’t’ shut all your windows and doors for good.

Giving advice on TikTok, Peter Houchin explains: “Air in your house can get very stale, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide that you’re gonna be breathing in day in and day out.”

He says that a potential ‘lack of oxygen in your body’ can have effects on ‘how your brain functions and how much energy you have and how well you feel’.

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Peter explains that people start getting ill around this time of year because ‘just about everyone has shut their doors and windows’.

“Getting cold is not bad for you, in fact it improves your immune system, it helps balance your blood sugar levels and it helps you produce energy more efficiently in your body.”

He also reckons getting ‘cold at night’ helps you ‘to sleep better’.

“So having windows closed and your heating on overnight actually disrupts your natural bodily rhythms.”

Basically, Peter says we need to allow our bodies to feel some of the cold so it can regulate to the season.

TikTok / @gobeyondpossible

“Keep your thermostat turned down. If it’s freezing, yeah absolutely, chuck the heating on.

“Keep your windows open, maybe slightly ajar, particularly when your heating is not on, layer up with clothes. But keep the environment, i.e. the air that your breathing fairly similar to what’s going on outside.

“Get outside as often as you can and experience the cold because then your house won’t feel so cold anymore.”

He advises that your body ‘will thank you for it’ if you follow his advice.

The NHS have previously advised that when it does get cold, especially for people aged 65 or older, you should heat your room to at least 18 °C and to keep your window closed on winter nights.

Another expert has also recommended we start thinking of putting the heating on around 29 October.

So, you’ve still got a bit of time to go - if you can make it.

Topics: TikTok, UK News, Weather, Cost of Living

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_