Why am I constantly cold? The reason why a person is cold all the time. Why do women get cold more than men? Improper nutrition makes you constantly cold

In autumn and winter, many women complain of feeling cold. Some of us look forward to the start of the heating season, and in September or October we buy gloves, a scarf and a hat. After returning from work, many people want to crawl into bed under a warm blanket, and in winter, a heating pad designed for local heating of the body seems to be our best friend.

Men do not always understand why we get cold so quickly, and when they hear complaints about the feeling of cold, being themselves in short shorts, they answer that it is warm today. Why is this happening? Where does this difference in the perception of temperatures in the bodies of men and women come from?

1. Cause of cold hands and feet in women

Scientists from the UK have proven that the feeling of cold in women is far from accidental. In the cold period, the circulatory system in a woman, first of all, provides heating. internal organs to protect them from heat loss. This phenomenon is much more pronounced than in men. Thus, the hands and feet receive much less blood, which causes these parts of the body to cool faster in bad weather.

This process is observed in women not only during severe frosts, but also at other times not characterized by high temperatures. That is why it is so common to see women wearing gloves and insulated boots already in the first days of autumn.

The response to a decrease in temperature is also an effect associated with differences in muscle tissue and fat in both sexes. Smaller muscle mass means lower metabolic rate, and of course, less heat generation.

2. Feeling cold as a result of evolution

A different reaction to the cold is also a legacy inherited from our ancestors. After moving to the cold regions of the globe, ancient people were forced to change their behavior. They learned how to use a fire, and also learned how to live in dwellings and wear warm clothes. It was mainly men who did this kind of thing, who did not experience much inconvenience from the cold, thanks to heavy traffic.

Temperature sensitivity is also associated with slower vasoconstriction in women. Estrogens are responsible for this - hormones, due to which their body is much more sensitive to cold.

Moreover, the skin of women is much thinner and softer than the skin of men. It contains about 20 layers of cells, while the epidermis of a man has almost twice as many. That is why she tolerates wind and frost worse, and therefore women need more protection.

3. Smoking, sleepless nights and weight loss

What else actively contributes to rapid freezing? Bad habits, weight loss and insomnia. The components of tobacco smoke contained in cigarettes cause narrowing of blood vessels, and therefore, the feeling of cold appears faster.

Not only smokers complain about cold hands and feet, but also people who are on a diet. Many women who want to lose weight through calorie restriction are much more sensitive to lower temperatures. This is because the body, which is not supplied with enough nutrients, slows down its metabolism and is unable to produce much heat.

Thermoregulation disorders also occur in people who have problems falling asleep or deliberately violate the natural biorhythm. If you take care of proper nutrition get enough sleep and get rid of bad habits, you will feel much better.

Nobly taking off his jacket (in a more modern version - a bomber jacket) and throwing it over the shoulders of his beautiful companion. A typical story from a Hollywood movie? Perhaps, but not only. This is also the harsh truth of life, due to physiology, which once again reminds us that girls, for the most part, are colder than men. Let's try to figure out why this happens.

Body temperature

The main reason why women freeze faster is that the normal temperature of a woman's body is higher than that of a man's. A study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1992 found that while body temperature fluctuates throughout the day for both women and men, women's averages are always slightly higher. This leads to the fact that women feel the effect of cool air more acutely.

cold extremities

More heat body at the same time does not mean that the body itself in women remains warmer throughout the day. In 1998, researchers at the University of Utah found that while a woman's body temperature is indeed warmer than a man's, female hands and the feet always remain colder. Experiments have shown that women's limbs are on average 3 degrees colder than men's.

Interestingly, this difference in temperature indicates that women are better at keeping warm. However, the internal organs are heated first of all, and the hands and feet are forced to pay for it.

Metabolism

Men have a faster natural metabolism than women - and this is a huge injustice. But this fact says not only that it is easier for them to keep their weight under control, but also that men warm up faster. Thelist.com cites data from a study where men's metabolism is estimated to be 23% higher than women's. At the same time, in essence, metabolism is the way in which our body turns food into energy, while warming the body along the way. And that explains everything.

Height and weight

Body size also matters when we talk about how men and women perceive cold. On average, men are larger than women, both in height and weight. "Because women tend to be smaller, they tend to have a higher surface area to volume ratio, which means they lose more heat," says Brad Fiero, lead expert at Pima Community College.

Different sensations

Another interesting explanation for why women are colder is that men and women just feel cold differently. "When women feel cold, their bodies constrict blood vessels near the surface of the skin to maintain core body temperature, but this makes them feel colder overall," said researchers David Niesel and Norbert Herzog of Medical Discovery News. In other words, our bodies simply have completely different physical responses to the same temperatures.

temperature in the office

Women who spend their weekdays tend to dress warmer than men. And this is understandable, given the data of a study conducted in 2015 and published in Nature Climate Change. For example, scientists have shown that most office buildings set "comfortable temperatures" based on outdated formulas from the 1960s, when experiments were conducted exclusively on men.

The study also found that the long-term “thermal comfort model” used by offices takes into account another factor: clothing insulation levels. And this factor is guided by the classical men's suits, which can be quite hot, but not on skirts and thin blouses, with which everything is just the opposite.

Some people get cold hands and feet even in warm weather. Of course, you can silently wrap yourself in a woolen jacket and pull on your socks without trying to figure out the causes of this phenomenon. But the constant feeling of cold is not the norm - it can be a sign of health problems. To get rid of discomfort, you first need to find out its cause.

Improper nutrition makes you constantly cold

Thyroid disease

One of the common causes of feeling cold all the time is hypothyroidism. With this disease of the thyroid gland, hormones are produced by the thyroid gland in insufficient quantities. At the same time, the mechanisms responsible for maintaining a constant normal body temperature are disrupted, and metabolic processes slow down. As a result, a person's hands and feet get cold.

If you notice that you have become lethargic, gaining weight for no reason, swelling of the face has appeared, the skin is too dry, and at the same time there is a constant feeling of cold, consult an endocrinologist. Perhaps the reason for this condition is

Vascular disorders

The reason that feet and hands are cold is often a violation of peripheral capillary circulation. The required amount of heat does not reach the extremities. This is especially true for people with vegetative-vascular dystonia. Anxiety, stress, lack of movement exacerbate the situation.

A constant feeling of cold is a companion of people with hypotension, low blood pressure. Due to sluggish vascular tone, blood flow decreases.

Vascular disorders usually develop with age. Therefore, older people often complain that their hands and feet are cold even in summer.

Feeling cold in overweight people is also associated with vascular disorders. Fat deposits, like a dense compressor, squeeze the blood vessels. The blood flow narrows and cannot provide the internal organs with oxygen. An attempt by the vascular system to compensate for this leads to the fact that the heat goes away for other purposes.

A rarer vascular disorder that causes constant coldness is Raynaud's disease. It is a violation of the arterial blood supply to the extremities. The slightest emotional stress, exposure to too cold or warm temperatures causes vascular spasm that disrupts thermoregulation.

Questions from readers

Good afternoon I am 31 years old October 18, 2013, 17:25 Good afternoon I am 31 years old. Recently, I have had terrible headaches, my blood pressure began to jump, with my 100/60, it jumps to 135/88. Sometimes it hurts the heart. For headaches, I don’t know what medications to take, because. pressure is different. I'm afraid to hurt. Advise what to do?

Diabetes

One of the complications of diabetes is circulatory disorders. As a result, there is a feeling of cold in the limbs, especially the legs are cold. In addition, sensitivity in the legs may decrease.

What should I do if I am constantly cold?

If you are familiar with the constant feeling of cold, do not be afraid to consult a doctor and take the necessary tests. This will relieve you of discomfort and help you avoid developing more dangerous conditions.

To improve thermoregulation:

• Exercise until you're warm
• Practice cold and hot shower
• Drink hot tea
• Avoid strong coffee and alcohol
• Drink 2 liters of pure water daily - this helps improve blood flow.

Elena Kukuevitskaya

It is not easy to answer this question unambiguously. There are a lot of reasons for chilliness, therefore, a thorough medical examination is necessary to identify a specific source of constant “underheating”.

WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEAT?

In the regulation of the heat of our body, all systems and organs are involved under the guidance of three - the heart, liver and hypothalamus.

The liver uses biochemical reactions to heat the blood. Pumped by the heart, it runs throughout the body, evenly delivering heat to all its parts. Therefore, the vessels can be compared with the pipes of central heating radiators.

Depending on the external temperature, the "pipes" either expand to give off excess heat outside the body (in summer), or shrink to better store it (in winter). But this process can be disrupted under the influence of various diseases or pathologies that cause constant “freezing”.

Why does a person always freeze

1 - SAUNA SYNDROME
Iron deficiency anemia or simply an insufficient level of hemoglobin in the blood causes a delay in the delivery of oxygen by the blood to the internal organs and tissues.

The body is trying to improve the situation of oxygen supply to the organs, and the vessels dilate to increase blood flow, that is, they behave as if a tropical heat has come or you are in a sauna. Accordingly, heat transfer increases - the body is deprived of the necessary supply of "heating" and freezes.

2 - THESE IMPORTANT VITAMINS A AND E
In fact, they didn’t sit - a lack of vitamins A and E, as well as fats in the diet, can also lead to constant chilliness even in warm weather.

The biochemical processes in the liver that are responsible for heating the blood are unbalanced, and the “batteries” are slowly cooling down.

Body fat is not just a dubious decoration, but a dense compressor. By squeezing the blood vessels, it leads to a narrowing of the blood flow, and then everything follows a well-known scheme - inadequate nutrition of the internal organs with oxygen and an attempt by the vascular system to compensate for this deficiency. The heat goes to the side, the person freezes.

4 - THIS LITTLE MISTRESS
The thyroid gland is responsible for the regulation of energy processes in the body - the distribution of energy reserves, including for heating.

When its function decreases (with hypothyroidism), the energy “branch” experiences a lack of attention, processes are disrupted, and high-quality heating becomes impossible. The thyroid gland, working at half strength, at the same time slows down the metabolism. Accordingly, the formation of heat from the calories received with food is also inhibited.

Cold feet at any time of the day can indicate the hormonal cause of "frostiness".

5 - CAPILLARIES
But most often, cold feet (and sometimes hands) are a sign of impaired peripheral capillary circulation. Heating simply does not reach the final points - in the limbs. Often this is associated with a condition such as vegetovascular dystonia (mainly of a hypotonic type), and a person begins to freeze the more the more he worries, or experiences stress, or suffers from hypodynamia.

Vascular problems leading to chilliness can also be of a completely different nature. For example, nicotine addicts and people suffering from atherosclerosis often experience spasms.

Age-related "frostiness", which causes older people to pull on several layers of clothes or blankets, is also associated with worsening vascular functions.

6 - WHEN THERE IS NO FUEL
People who eat too little, who do not get enough of their daily calorie intake, are also doomed to freeze. After all, they simply do not provide the "furnace" with "wood" - in the absence of regular intake of calories, the body has nowhere to take energy from.

If a person is thin and moves little, he is doomed to slowly cool down during his lifetime. Even his body temperature drops.

7 - DIABETES
Diabetes mellitus turns out to be “guilty” of almost any disorder in our body, and constant chilliness is no exception. Serious disturbances in metabolism and in the work of the cardiovascular system become the root cause, but it is impossible to explain everything that happens in a nutshell. A clear sign of diabetes can be considered cold feet, in which sensitivity also disappears.

8 - REYNAUD'S DISEASE
There is also a specific cold syndrome - Raynaud's disease, which is expressed in a violation of the arterial blood supply to the extremities. At the slightest emotional stress, as well as under the influence of too cold or warm temperatures, such people experience a strong vascular spasm that disrupts thermoregulation.