WHY AM I ALWAYS COLD? 9 POSSIBLE MEDICAL REASONS AND WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR
Feeling cold is part of the human experience, but when it happens all the time, it can make a person miserable and wonder if there’s something medically wrong.
Everyone’s threshold for feeling cold is different, and some people are naturally more sensitive to it than others, says Dr. Jay Lee, a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The classic example is a married couple where the spouses have different temperature settings in the car and bed, he notes. There are often “temperature wars” over air conditioning in offices.
But when people constantly feel cold, they start looking for answers.
“It nags at the patients’ thinking just in terms of, ‘What is it? What’s going on with my body? Why is it that I feel this way?’” Lee, medical director at Integrated Health Partners of Southern California, tells TODAY.com.
“That’s when we start to think about: Are there reversible causes that we need to uncover through history and lab testing?”
Here are nine possible medical reasons why you feel cold all the time:
Anemia
This is a condition where the body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells. Cold hands and feet are among the symptoms.
“When you have low blood counts, it doesn’t allow for oxygen to move as efficiently to the rest of the body, so it tends to be things like extremities where people are feeling that level of coldness,” Lee says.
“They can also feel tired or fatigued, and that their brain processing is slower.”
The most common type is iron-deficiency anemia, where a person doesn’t have enough iron, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. It can also be caused by a lack of vitamin B12.
More serious causes of anemia include kidney problems and some types of cancer, such as colon cancer.
Anemia is detected with a complete blood count test. Other tests can measure iron and vitamin B12 levels in the blood. After ruling out more serious causes of anemia, a doctor may recommend iron or B12 supplements.
Low thyroid
Also known as hypothyroidism, it happens when the thyroid — a gland that sits around the front of the neck — doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone. Trouble tolerating cold is one of the symptoms.
“It’s like the gas pedal in your car. If all things are going well with your thyroid, you’re going 55 (miles per hour) in a 55 zone and everything is hunky-dory,” Lee says.
“But sometimes you have low thyroid, so it feels like you’re going 35 in a 55, and suddenly you’re feeling very sluggish and cold.”
A blood test can detect low thyroid. The treatment involves taking medicine that’s identical to the hormone a healthy thyroid makes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Low body weight
A person who is underweight has fewer fat stores, which can contribute to feeling chilly all the time.
“Fat can be good — we use it basically to insulate our body. If you’re thin and have a low body mass index, that can lead towards you feeling cold,” Lee says.
These patients are encouraged to reach a healthy weight.
Anorexia nervosa
The eating disorder, marked by an intense fear of weight gain and severe food restriction, is related to low body weight. But it goes even further when it comes to feeling cold because patients with anorexia are simply not getting enough calories to maintain normal body function.
“When you’re not eating enough or are dehydrated, that can cause you to feel cold because you need the food and the calories to help generate that heat in your body to make sure that you’re staying at a regular temperature,” Lee says.
Circulation problems
This might be due to atherosclerosis — the buildup of plaque and cholesterol in the arteries to the point where the blood flow is less effective to the limbs — and other causes of peripheral artery disease.
Doctors may also have concerns about the heart itself, meaning problems with the pump function, Lee notes.
“If you’re someone who’s older and has been a longtime smoker and are inactive and you tend to have coldness in your hands and feet, we’ll be worried about circulation,” he adds.
A blood test can check for high cholesterol, while ultrasound can look at blood flow to the limbs.
Diabetes
Diabetes can cause issues with the nerves, and sometimes that can lead patients to feel cold, Lee says.
“Diabetes can certainly cause it through some of the peripheral neuropathy,” he notes. “It can cause overall dysregulation, meaning your body is just not as good at regulating itself because of the underlying diabetes.”
Raynaud’s disease
The condition causes blood vessels to narrow in response to cold or stress so that little or no blood flows to the affected body parts — most commonly the fingers and toes, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Patients usually see the affected body parts turn pale white.
One woman with Raynaud's told TODAY.com the sensation “feels like the tingling when your hand falls asleep, but magnify that by a thousand.”
Patients with mild episodes are encouraged to keep their core body temperature warm and use gloves and hand warmers.
Side effect of medication
Beta blockers slow down the rate of the heart pumping, which can make people feel cold, Lee says.
Chronic stress
If you’re stressed all the time, you may notice your feet and hands are persistently cold, part of the fight-or-flight response to danger.
A perceived threat triggers the body to constrict arteries in the peripheries, protecting vital organs while limiting blood flow to the extremities, Lee says.
When to see a doctor:
If feeling cold all the time is not something that’s getting better with supportive measures like wearing warm clothes, or you live in a warm environment and you’re cold all the time, it’s worth having a visit with your doctor, Lee advises.
How do I stop being cold all the time?
The basics often work. Lee has these tips:
- Layer clothes, gloves or socks.
- Eat warm things, like soup; and drink warm beverages, like coffee, green tea or hot chocolate.
- Exercise and stay active.
- Get enough sleep.
Having close relationships can also help you combat feeling chronically cold. "It seems unrelated, but (human connection) is actually really important.” Lee says.
“The best situation is you’ve got somebody you can talk to and work through issues, give you advice. And for them to be concerned enough to say, ‘Look, you’ve been dealing with this for three or four weeks, maybe you should see a doctor?’ That’s a really critical piece of staying healthy.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
2024-03-05T18:47:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd