8 Reasons Why You're Always So Darn Cold
Imagine this: You're at the office and, before you know it, have to wrap a blanket around you in order to stay warm. Or you step outside and have to run back in for a jacket even though your friend is perfectly fine. If you feel like you’re always adding layers, it’s worth understanding why that might be the case. Here are some common reasons why you always feel cold, even when the thermostat is in the 70s.
1. Your sex.
A 2015 study published in the journal Nature found that while men were comfortable at 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit, women needed the thermostat adjusted about 5 degrees higher to feel the same. According to Dr. Natalie Azar, a rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health, it's because men have a higher resting metabolic rate than women do, meaning they're producing more energy, burning more calories, and thus generating more heat.
Unfortunately, most buildings are outdated, meaning they primarily cater to men. “Temperatures were engineered and designed based on studies in the 1960s, and it took into account male metabolic rates because at that time there were more men employed than women,” Rob Danoff, D.O., program director for family practice residency at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, tells Woman's Day. So unless you can convince your building manager to up their heat, you may want to keep that space heater under your desk — and maybe invest in this foot warmer heating pad.
2. Lack of sleep.
Not getting enough quality shuteye can also make you feel cold. “If [you're] not getting the rest [you] need, your body then is not healing itself and it comes under stress,” Dr. Danoff says. Research backs him up: A study published in the journal Sleep found that even one night of sleep deprivation made patients more vulnerable to heat loss. Doctors aren’t quite clear on how or why the body’s thermoregulation changes during sleep — they just know that it does — but you may be able to stop your shivering by simply getting a better night's sleep.
3. Medications.
If constantly feeling cold is new, take a look at your medicine cabinet. Some stimulants can make your hands and feet feel cold due to poor circulation in the extremities, says Dr. Danoff. Certain blood pressure medications, like Propanolol, can have a similar effect, according to the Mayo Clinic. Bring up your symptoms at your next doctor's appointment, as they may be able to suggest an alternative option.
4. Raynaud’s disease.
If your hands and feet are the areas that are primarily cold — and it's extreme enough that they turn white, maybe even blue, and go numb — you could have Raynaud’s disease. With this condition, according to the May Clinic, arteries to the fingers and toes sometimes spasm, in turn narrowing blood vessels and temporarily limiting blood supply. The spasms are often triggered when exposing yourself to cold conditions, like when you put your hand in a freezer or walk into air conditioning, Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at NYU Langone, tells Woman's Day.
The good news is that most cases of Raynaud's are mild enough that they don't affect quality of life. It can be a symptom of other problems though, including some artery and connective tissue diseases, so it's worth speaking to your doctor about.
Keep in mind, though, that just because you have cold hands and feet does not necessarily mean it's Raynaud's. "When you go outside into the cold, the normal thing is for blood vessels in the hands and feet to contract to keep heat inside in the vital organs," Dr. Azar tells Woman's Day. So it's only natural that the first places in your body to feel cold are your hands and feet. The sensation happens quicker in women than men, so if you get colder faster than your husband does, it's no cause for worry. "Just the sensation of feeling cold is not worrisome or abnormal for women unless it’s associated with the color changes in hands and feet, and then it’s not urgent but you should be evaluated by a doctor," Dr. Azar says.
5. Hypothyroidism.
If you truly feel like you're cold way more than others, Nilem Patel, M.D., an endocrinologist at Adventist Health White Memorial in Los Angeles, says it's likely your doctor will want to check for hypothyroidism, a condition that develops when your thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones to regulate your body temperature. Weight gain and fatigue are other common complaints from patients, but it's difficult to diagnose based on a patient's description alone. “Oftentimes the symptoms are very vague,” she tells Woman's Day, so you’ll need to go for testing in order to confirm the condition. It's not something you want to ignore either: the Mayo Clinic notes that when hypothyroidism isn't treated, signs and symptoms can become more severe and may lead to other problems, including forgetfulness, depression, and a life-threatening version of advanced hypothyroidism known as myxedema.
6. Anemia.
Anemia is caused by a lack of hemoglobin and red blood cells, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and can lead to exhaustion, weakness, headache, dizziness, pale skin, and — you guessed it — feeling cold. (In severe cases, you may also feel faint or short of breath, Dr. Goldberg says.) While iron gets most of the attention when it comes to anemia, the disease can also result from not being able to absorb enough B12 or folic acid. This is definitely not something you want to mess around with, and your doctor can confirm the disease with a simple blood test.
7. Inadequate nutrition.
On a more macro scale, if you’re not getting enough daily nutrition — like when someone struggles with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia, for example — this can also lead to being cold, as "your body is going to be in conservation mode,” Dr. Patel says. In this situation, increasing the number of calories you’re eating is critical, otherwise your body will slowly begin to shut down. Talk to a doctor about potential treatment options that fit your particular situation.
8. You're getting older.
Though women often experience hot flashes and a raised body temperature during menopause, after their bodies have adapted post-menopause, they'll often find themselves feeling colder. Men also get colder with age, Dr. Azar says, since they begin to lose the muscle mass that kept them warmer before.
Know when to see a physician.
It's important to know your body and listen to your body, so if things are abnormal you can see a doctor. "If you’ve been cold your whole life and that's just you, that's great," Dr. Azar says. "But if feeling cold is a new sensation you should have that checked out." She also advises that if feeling cold is associated with shaking chills, if you feel cold and have a fever, or if your body temperature is lower than what is normal for you, you should seek medical attention.
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