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How Do Woollen Clothes Keep Us Warm in Winter?

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How Do Woollen Clothes Keep Us Warm in Winter?

The summer has come to an end, and with the onset of the monsoon, winter will soon be upon us. The time has come to put on your woollens and stay warm!

Wool is obtained from sheep through a process known as shearing, as you may have learned through rhymes and science classes as a child. It is then processed and made into garments that we wear.

Despite our love for woollens – sweaters, mufflers, and socks – did you ever wonder how they keep us warm?

Your body heat is not allowed to radiate into the surroundings because wool is an excellent insulator (bad conductor) of heat. As a natural buffer between your body and the outside of the fabric, wool clothes are helpful in regulating your body temperature.

Why Do We Feel Cold During Winters?

You feel cold or hot based on how your body reacts to changes in external temperature, which in turn depends on how it regulates its own temperature.

Having confusion? An explanation is provided below.

Biology lessons may have taught you about warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals.

The body temperature of warm-blooded animals – such as humans and other mammals – doesn’t change as the weather changes. Their body temperature remains fairly constant regardless of the weather outside.

Warm-blooded creatures therefore need extra insulation to stay warm during winter. For mammals such as bears, wolves, and some breeds of dogs, fur serves as an insulation layer. For sheep, their wool coat is like a natural sweater, while for birds, their feathers are like a natural sweater.

However, humans only have three layers of skin, making them less efficient against the cold. So as not to lose the warmth of our bodies, we wear heavy clothes.

Here’s how wool keeps us warm during winter. First, let’s explore the reasons why we wear woollen clothes to keep us warm.

Why Do We Use Woollen Clothes To Keep Us Warm?

Wool conducts heat poorly, as we discussed earlier. It prevents heat from passing through.

During the winter, your body transmits heat to the atmosphere, making you feel cold. A hotter body transfers heat energy to a colder body through conduction, convection, and radiation. Our bodies feel cold in winter because they are hotter than the outside temperature, and as science dictates, some of that heat is radiating into the air.

How Does Wool Keep You Warm?

There are several fine pores in wool as a material. Wearing woollen clothes allows air to enter those fine pores. Both wool and air conduct heat poorly, as you may have learned in science. Together, they prevent your body heat from escaping. Your body will be kept warm and toasty with this double dose of insulation! It is also the reason why we sweat when we wear too much clothing.

How Does It Work?

The crimps in the fibres of wool give woollen garments excellent shape retention. It is wool’s crimps, which are folding and ridges that provide it with its good insulation properties. As a result, it traps warm air from the body and insulates it from the external air. It protects the body from cold winds by acting as an insulating barrier.

What Makes Wool Superior To Other Materials?

You may wonder if wool can be substituted for cotton, for instance.

There are fewer pores in cotton, so it may not be as effective as other fabrics. This allows some of our body heat to escape as a result of them holding less air.

Woollen fabrics may also be preferred over synthetic fabrics. There is a risk of fire catching in synthetic fabrics! It is, however, natural for wool to extinguish itself.

Another advantage of wool is that it absorbs moisture from your skin while keeping your body free from external chills. Consequently, your body stays dry and warm!


Also published on Medium.

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