Having a cold intolerance can wreak havoc on your health!
Some people can feel colder than others without any cause. But, constantly feeling cold might indicate an underlying medical condition, like anemia, hypothyroidism, or poor circulation.
It’s normal to feel cold in the winter or colder climates, though there may be an underlying cause if you’re constantly freezing. Cold intolerance is an exaggerated or abnormal reaction to cold exposure.
It can happen when an individual’s body temperature is persistently lower because of medical reasons. It can also occur when a person’s body temperature is normal, but they sense cold differently.
The causes of cold intolerance are huddled around issues involving the nervous, circulatory, and endocrine systems. And the truth is that quite often, multiple causes can be involved.
Even the lack of sleep or certain medications can trigger it. So, on that note, take a look at 7 possible reasons why you’re constantly feeling cold.
Low body weight
Even in individuals who don’t have anorexia, having a low body weight boosts susceptibility to colds. Yet, this isn’t the case for everyone because some underweight people have higher core body temperatures and a high metabolism.
That being said, though, low body weight is inherently related to less subcutaneous body fat. That’s the layer of fat tissue found just under the skin. Losing this insulating layer increases the risk of cold intolerance.
Besides reducing subcutaneous fat, low body weight is connected to an increased risk of anemia.
Lack of sleep
As odd as it might sound, chronic lack of sleep can raise your sensitivity to cold while you’re awake. In well-rested individuals, blood flow in the skin fluctuates during sleep, so temperature changes in one part of the body vary consistently with other parts.
Sleep deprivation plays havoc with this process. As the sleep deficiency builds and you lose more and more of it, blood flow will progressively move to the center of the body and decline in the limbs.
This promotes heat loss from the hands and feet, making them feel colder. Sleep deprivation disturbs the circadian cycle, which regulates the pattern of wakefulness and sleep.
This, in turn, interrupts the release of certain hormones in your body that regulate sensory nerves in skin. If this occurs, your brain can sense temperature changes in the legs and arms less and won’t redirect blood to them while you’re asleep.
Sleep deprivation can be treated with medications and improved sleep practices.
Suppose sleep apnea is causing your chronic loss of sleep. In that case, your doctor can recommend a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP) to prevent gaps in breathing that lead to you waking up during the nighttime.
Thyroid disease
Hypothyroidism, low thyroid function, is one of the most acknowledged causes of cold intolerance. The thyroid glands are the ones responsible for producing hormones that play a major role in regulating metabolism, including when and how energy reserves are used.
In a cold environment, thyroid hormones can boost metabolism to help normalize your body temperature. If you have hypothyroidism, though, the lower output of thyroid hormones undermines this result, making you more sensitive to the cold.
In individuals with hypothyroidism, hormone therapy can help normal thyroid levels and, in turn, relieve symptoms of cold intolerance.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a cluster of diseases that causes a surplus of glucose in the blood. Persistently high glucose levels can cause advanced damage to many organs in one’s body, including the circulatory system, kidneys, and nerves.
Managing diabetes with exercise, diet, and medications can help you dodge complications that lead to cold intolerance. Meanwhile, here are the complications of diabetes that can lead to cold intolerance in a variety of ways:
-Kidney damage: Diabetic nephropathy is kidney damage provoked by diabetes. When this occurs, a waste product called urea can collect in the blood, lowering the core body temperature. Low body temperature is typical in advanced kidney disease.
-Nerve damage: Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage generated by diabetes. Symptoms include pins-and-needles sensations, numbness, burning, and an increased intolerance to cold. In some individuals, even a cold breeze can cause severe discomfort.
-Circulation problems: Consistent high blood glucose levels can harm the lining of blood vessels and decrease blood flow. This lowers the temperature of the feet and legs and can lead to the development of slow-healing sores.
Anemia
Anemia is what happens when you don’t have sufficient red blood cells to move oxygen throughout your body. It can also happen if you don’t have enough of an iron-containing protein, hemoglobin, which is what’s responsible for carrying oxygen molecules.
Iron deficiency anemia is a sort of anemia caused by the absence of iron in the body. Iron is required to make hemoglobin and is necessary to produce plenty of red blood cells.
Iron deficiency anemia can be treated with prescription drug therapies and iron supplements. Cold intolerance is strongly connected to iron deficiency anemia for two reasons:
-Lack of iron: Iron is also needed to create thyroid hormones. Low iron levels decrease the production of these hormones in those with iron deficiency anemia, further increasing cold intolerance.
-Lack of oxygen: Oxygen is involved in burning calories for heat and energy and narrowing blood vessels to help preserve heat.
The lack of oxygen decreases both effects with all kinds of anemia, including pernicious anemia, which is caused by not having enough vitamin B-12, and aplastic anemia, due to issues with bone marrow.
Peripheral artery disease
Peripheral artery disease, a.k.a. PAD, is when one or more blood vessels servicing the legs, arms, head, or trunk become wholly or partially blocked. It’s usually caused by the build-up of fatty deposits on the borders of arteries, referred to as atherosclerosis.
PAD is typical in those over 50 with a history of smoking or diabetes. The reduced blood flow caused by peripheral artery disease can heighten cold intolerance in the same way as vasoconstriction.
This coldness is most typically felt in the feet, particularly in the morning or right after exercising, but it can also impact other body parts. If left untreated, this disease can damage peripheral nerves, which are those located outside of the spinal cord or brain.
This can ultimately lead to nerve pain that further magnifies a person’s response to cold. PAD is treated with lifestyle changes and medications, including weight loss, a low-fat diet, and routine exercise. Severe cases might require vascular surgery, though.
Nerve issues
Cold intolerance can arise when the peripheral nerves are injured. This generally happens when the insulated coating on nerves, called the myelin sheath, is stripped away or damaged.
This can cause nerve cells to misfire, which can trigger numbness, tingling, shock-like pain, or burning. The condition, called peripheral neuropathy, can be so severe that a light breeze or the weight of a bedsheet can cause you pain.
Peripheral neuropathy can raise a person’s sensitivity to cold, making it challenging to walk across a cold floor or hold a cold drink.
Peripheral neuropathy can be hard to treat but might benefit from anticonvulsant medicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and antidepressants. Causes of peripheral neuropathy can include:
-Diabetes
-Alcoholism
-Lyme disease
-Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus
-Chronic kidney disease
-HIV
-Medications, including certain antibiotics, immunosuppressants, chemotherapy meds, and HIV medications
Do you have a cold intolerance? If so, what has your experience been with this disorder? Be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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