How to stay warm during Bears vs. Rams Sunday night: Sun-Times and WBEZ staff tips

If you haven't already heard, the NFC Divisional round playoff battle between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams is going to be a frigid one.

Temperatures are expected to be in the teens and wind chills in the single digits. It could get even worse if an arctic cold front that's set to arrive Monday morning gets here several hours early — fans could be exposed to wind chills well below zero, according to the National Weather Service.

Skin exposed to Sunday's weather for an extended period of time could pose health risks. The Bears have released a list of policies and guidelines for staying warm, including locations of warming centers and a list of items allowed into the stadium and for tailgating.

But some tips you can only get from fellow fans. That's where staff members with the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ come in. Here are their suggestions for how to stay warm throughout the game.

Wear layers

Multiple layers of clothing allow for adjustment depending on whether you're feeling too hot or cold. And by layers, we mean many, many layers.

"You can always peel off clothing if you're too warm," said Dave Miska, studio operations manager at WBEZ.

Mitch Armentrout, a government and politics reporter with the Sun-Times, suggested wearing latex gloves under your normal gloves to trap the heat in your hands.

Sun-Times environmental reporter Brett Chase wears shoes a little bit larger than his usual size so he has room for extra layers of socks.

"If you don't have enough clothing, it's gonna make for a long day," Miska said.

Use an empty pizza box to keep your feet warm

The concrete ground in the stands can get extremely cold during a game. Boots and socks sometimes aren't enough to keep fans' feet warm. So fans for years have put cardboard under their feet, taking advantage of the corrugated interior of the cardboard that acts as insulation.

Unfortunately, Soldier Field started banning fans from bringing cardboard into the stadium a few years ago.

Sun-Times race, communities and class assistant editor and reporter Nader Issa recommends a solution: Buy a personal pizza inside the stadium, eat it and slide the unfolded cardboard pizza box between your feet and the concrete.

Battery-powered clothing

Battery-powered clothing is allowed inside Soldier Field for the game, though fans with the electronic gear may be subject to additional screening.

For WBEZ City Hall reporter Mariah Woelfel, battery-powered socks are as an essential way to battle the cold.

"It just like keeps you at that base level of warmth," Woelfel said. "They're not a panacea but they can help you survive the three hours."

Alcohol — but not too much

Conventional wisdom also says drinking alcohol, such as a shot of whiskey, can help keep you warm at a Bears game.

But you won't want to drink much more than that. National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi warned about getting too drunk.

"You want to be able to have your senses and be aware of what you're experiencing," Izzi said. "If you become too intoxicated, it may be easier to lose awareness that you're starting to have issues due to the cold weather, whether that's frostbite or hypothermia."

Non-alcoholic beverages, like hot chocolate, cider and coffee, will be available throughout the stadium, too. And fans are encouraged to drink water throughout the game to stay hydrated.