Cold Feet and Hands, Op-ed

Many people suffer from cold hands and feet throughout the year, but why does this sensation even happen?

Our bodies are designed to regulate our temperature. When it’s cold outside, your body makes sure to keep the blood flowing to your core and vital organs to keep them warm. This can change the amount of blood flow to your hands and feet, making them feel cold.

When the body enters a colder area, blood vessels in the extremities, such as the hands and feet, will constrict. This reduces the blood flow to these areas, which also reduces the amount of heat the body loses.

The extremities are the parts of the body furthest from the vital organs, so reducing blood flow to the extremities also helps keep warmth and blood flow in the more important body parts. Over time this reduced blood flow can cause decreased oxygen in the tissues, which may cause them to take on a bluish colour. When temporary, these symptoms are not usually serious, and the body will return to normal as it warms up again. Some people tend to have colder feet and hands naturally, without an underlying disease.

There can be a variety of reasons for cold feet, from winter temperatures to circulation and nerve disorders. The most common health-related conditions that can cause coldness in your limbs are related to poor blood circulation or nerve damage in your hands or feet.

Some people can develop a tolerance for cold. Fishermen, for example, can work with their bare hands in extremely cold weather. Women are at more risk of cold injury because their hands and feet cool faster.

Anaemia

Anaemia is a condition where you have fewer healthy and properly functioning red blood cells than normal. This can be due to many factors, including deficiency in iron, vitamin B12, or folate, or chronic kidney disease. Women are more at risk than men.

Cold extremities (and skin in general) is a sign you may be iron-deficient. Iron deficiency is often underdiagnosed—and undiscovered. When you have an iron deficiency, your red blood cells may not have enough haemoglobin (iron-rich protein) to transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. The result can be cold fingers and toes. Moderate to severe cases of Anaemia may cause cold hands and feet. Anaemia usually responds well to changes in diet and supplements.

Circulation Issues

Circulation issues are a very common cause of cold feet. A person with poor circulation will often struggle to get enough warm blood to their extremities, and may complain of cold hands and cold feet frequently. Poor circulation can have a variety of causes. Living a sedentary lifestyle or sitting at a desk all day may reduce circulation to the legs and cause cold feet.

High cholesterol can lead to plaques forming inside the arteries that can reduce circulation to the legs and feet, leading to cold feet. Some heart conditions can also cause cold feet, so a person should speak to their doctor about any existing heart problems or risk factors. When your arteries are narrowed or dysfunctional, it reduces blood flow to your legs and feet.

There are several types of arterial disease. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects an estimated one third of people over 50 years old who have diabetes mellitus. PAD typically causes arterial wall damage in the lower extremities when buildup of plaque on the walls of blood vessels causes them to narrow. PAD symptoms in addition to cold feet include pain in your legs when you’re exercising, numbness or pins and needles in your legs or feet, sores on your legs and feet that heal slowly

Diabetes

Poor blood circulation is a symptom of diabetes, especially in your extremities, which can make your hands and feet cold. Frequent high blood sugar levels can lead to narrowing of the arteries and a reduced blood supply to the tissues. Diabetes also increases the risk for heart disease and narrowing of the arteries (due to atherosclerosis), both of which may contribute to cold hands and feet.

Nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy), especially in your feet, is a complication of diabetes. It’s caused by high blood sugar levels over a long period of time. One of the early symptoms is a feeling of “pins and needles” in your feet or hands.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition where your thyroid is underactive and doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones to keep your body’s metabolic functions running properly. It affects more women than men and is common over age 60. Feeling cold is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Other symptoms include fatigue, joint pain and stiffness, dry skin, thinning hair, and depression.

Raynaud’s syndrome

Raynaud’s syndrome, is a condition that makes your fingers or sometimes other parts of your body feel cold or numb. It results from the narrowing of arteries in your hands or feet, which stops the blood from having normal circulation.

Raynaud’s may cause your fingers to change colour, turning white, blue, or red. When your blood circulation becomes normal, your hands may tingle, throb, or swell. Raynaud’s is triggered by cold temperatures or stress.

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

A vitamin B-12 deficiency can give you neurological symptoms including the feeling of cold hands and feet, numbness, or tingling.

Vitamin B-12 is found naturally in meat and dairy products and is important for maintaining healthy red blood cells. Your body doesn’t make vitamin B-12, so you need to get it from the foods you eat.

Other symptoms of a vitamin B-12 deficiency include fatigue, movement, balance problems, Anaemia, pale skin, shortness of breath, mouth sores, and cognitive difficulties.

Smoking

Smoking tobacco causes injury to your blood vessels throughout the body, which then becomes narrowed, and can contribute to cold fingers and toes.

Over time, smoking can damage the blood vessels in your heart, making it harder for your heart to pump blood through your body. This especially affects your legs and feet.

High stress or anxiety

Being in a state of high stress or anxiety may also cause cold feet. One of the body’s natural responses to stress or nervousness is to pump adrenaline into the bloodstream.

Adrenaline causes constriction in many networks of minute blood vessels but dilates the blood vessels in the skeletal muscles and the liver. This decreases the flow of blood to the outermost areas of the body. This response reserves energy and prepares for any bodily harm that may happen, as a result of the high-stress situation. Reducing stress and tension may help reduce symptoms in these cases.

Other Factors

Other factors that may lead to cold hands and feet include your age, family history, and some medications.

In addition, if you have a bacterial or viral infection and a fever, you may also have chills.

Babies lose body heat more rapidly in the cold because they have a large body surface area compared to their weight. They may not have a lot of fat under their skin as insulation. Also, their natural body temperature regulation is not fully developed.

Older people lose the ability to regulate their body temperature well. The blood vessels in their extremities don’t constrict as easily to keep their core warm. The metabolism tends to slow with age, and this can contribute as well. They may have an increased risk of cold extremities because of chronic conditions and medications.

Tips to Warm up Feet and Hands

No matter what’s causing your cold feet and hands, it’s important for your comfort to warm them up. Consider clothing choices. For children, make sure they’re warmly dressed and know to come inside if they feel chilled or their hands or feet get chilled.

Wear a hat, gloves, warm socks, and a warm coat in cold weather. Wear layers to keep your core warm, and don’t wear tight clothing. Some people find a scarf or turtleneck helpful for staying warm. Wear socks or slippers. Wear a sweater and warm socks if you’re cold inside.

Exercise every day. Exercise daily, including walking, to improve your blood circulation. Do a quick warmup. Try jumping jacks to get your blood moving. March in place while sitting. Wiggle your toes and make circles with your feet. Make circles in the air with each finger if they’re stiff. Make wide circles in the air with your arms to encourage blood flow. Move around regularly. Take time to get up at least every half-hour to stretch or walk around.

Hold something warm. Hold a warm drink in your hands. Wear mittens instead of gloves. Mittens keep your fingers together and conserve warmth. Avoid direct contact with frozen items.