For most of us, winter is a nuisance. But for some, the sudden temperature drop can be a health risk, boosting their chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

Some Toronto experts, however, are conducting new research on the effects of cold in a fascinating laboratory designed to replicate what the weather does to our bodies.

At Toronto Rehab's iDAPT Winter Lab, researchers are recreating typical Canadian winter conditions complete with sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice, and winds up to 30 km/hour within the safety of a controlled laboratory setting.

"You can recreate temperatures that go down to -15 Centigrade, we can create ice on the floor," says Geoff Fernie, the director of research at Toronto Rehab.

Fernie notes that while Toronto sees about 10 months of cold weather, it is not always convenient to do research outside.

"We need an environment where we can have winter on demand and precisely the way we want it, so we can reproduce and test all the results," he says.

One of the studies being undertaken in the lab is looking at how to best design winter boots to prevent slips and falls. They use volunteer who are secured in body harnesses and have them walk across an icy floor, climb a frosty step, while a motion simulator tilts the pod 20 degrees, throwing the volunteers off balance.

Fernie hopes the result will be a better-designed booty.

"In a year or two, maybe next season, you will buy better shoes that are labelled that will tell you that this will work best in this environment," says Fernie.

The team is also working on research to prevent heart attacks and stroke in winter, a season when these events can rise by as much as 60 per cent. Their main finding so far? A hat can make all the difference.

The researchers have found that wearing a hat or wearing a mask decreases the surge in blood pressure that comes when one steps out into the cold. A hat not only keeps one warm, it keeps our stress levels lower.

"A lot of what we do is really down to earth we use a lot of high-tech stuff but the end result is practical info that helps people," says Fernie.

With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip