During the cold winter months, our hands and feet get cold. It is normal. That’s why we wear thick socks and gloves. However, why do our hands and feet feel colder even though the weather is not that cold? In fact, it is normal for hands and feet to feel colder since there is no layer of fat to protect that area and there is relatively little hair. But every normal will vary from person to person.
The main cause of coldness in hands and feet is circulatory disorders. If the thin blood vessels leading to these limbs are narrowed or if your blood flow cannot spread throughout the body as it should for various reasons, hands and feet become cold. Although it varies depending on the conditions, cold hands and feet can often be a sign of a different disease. Let’s examine together why our hands and feet are cold, what diseases can cause this and what we can do.
Diseases that cause hands and feet to get colder:
- peripheral neuropathy
- Peripheral artery disease
- hypothyroidism
- Raynaud’s disease
- Anemia
- Buerger’s disease
- high cholesterol
Peripheral neuropathy, which damages the nerves in the feet:
Considered a type of diabetes complication, peripheral neuropathy damages the nerves in your feet. Because the nerves are damaged, you may feel cold even if your feet are warm to the touch. In addition to diabetes, peripheral neuropathy can also be caused by regional injuries, autoimmune diseases, excessive alcohol consumption, vitamin deficiencies, bone marrow disorders, underactive thyroid and different medications.
Peripheral artery disease, which slows blood flow in the legs and feet:
Peripheral artery disease slows or even blocks blood flow in your legs and feet. Although it is associated with diabetes, it can occur due to many different reasons such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and age. Pain in the legs and cold feet may occur as a result of the blood circulation disorder that occurs with this disease.
Hypothyroidism, which occurs with an underactive thyroid gland:
Hypothyroidism refers to the underfunctioning state of the thyroid. Thyroids are butterfly-shaped glands located in your neck and produce hormones that affect nearly all organs. Underactive thyroid glands cannot produce enough hormones and as a result, cold feet may occur.
Raynaud’s disease, which impairs blood flow:
Raynaud’s disease, also called Raynaud’s phenomenon, is a condition in which there is a problem in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to other points in the body. As soon as the temperature drops, you feel cold in your hands and feet. In addition, you may feel cold in points such as nose, lips, ear and nipple because blood flow is not provided properly.
Raynaud’s disease is generally seen in people living in cold climates and is a condition that affects women more than men. Since the blood flow to the hands and feet does not continue properly, they may turn pale blue and feel sore when heated. There are dozens of different conditions and medications that can cause this disease.
Anemia caused by insufficient blood cells:
It is possible to define anemia as a type of blood disease. It means you don’t have enough blood cells in your body or your lungs aren’t healthy enough to receive oxygen. As a result, your hands and feet will get cold because the blood flow is not healthy. Anemia may also be a sign of different diseases.
Buerger’s disease caused by smoking:
Raynaud’s disease is a disease that occurs directly with tobacco use. The veins in the hands and feet of people who smoke tobacco become swollen. This slows blood flow, creating clots and infections. It is quite common in men under the age of 45. The only treatment method is to quit tobacco use.
High cholesterol that narrows the blood vessels:
High cholesterol can be considered a disease on its own, but it can also be seen as a condition that can cause different diseases. As a result of high cholesterol, cholesterol and inflammation accumulate in the vessels. Since this narrows the vessels, blood flow is impaired. As a result, cold hands and feet occur again.
What should you do when your hands and feet are cold?
- Wear thick socks and gloves.
- Move your hands and feet forward.
- Quit smoking as soon as possible.
- Switch to a diet that will control your cholesterol.
- Try to control your stress.
- Take iron, vitamin B12 and folate.
When should I go to the doctor?
As we mentioned before, it is normal for hands and feet to feel cold. Therefore, it is possible to warm your hands and feet by applying the above methods. However, since the constant coldness of these limbs may be a sign of some diseases, you should definitely go to the doctor if you chronically experience the following conditions;
- If the wounds on your hands and feet do not heal easily
- If you’re feeling burned out
- If your weight is increasing or decreasing
- If you have a fever
- If you have joint pain in your hands, feet or other points
- If your skin is too red
- If you feel thickening in your skin
All these symptoms show that the coldness in your hands and feet is only a fragment of the disease. Unfortunately, many people lose the chance of early diagnosis because they do not care about this situation. You should follow the changes in your body and discuss any unusual situations with a specialist.
We answered the question of why our hands and feet get colder and talked about what diseases could cause this condition. What we say here is for informational purposes only. If your cold hands and feet have become chronic, you should definitely consult a doctor.
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