Why cold hands and feet. Why are your hands always cold? The most common reasons. You should consult a doctor if, in addition to chilliness of the hands and feet, you periodically or constantly notice ...

This is a serious reason to visit a doctor. Experts have found that legs and arms freeze very often due to spasm in small capillaries. In turn, the blood stops flowing in the required amount. The result is cold extremities. In addition, a variety of diseases can serve as a cause.

Iron-deficiency anemia is a lack of such a microelement in the body as iron. As a result, a person quickly consumes heat and freezes.

With vegetative-vascular dystonia, chaotic contraction of capillaries occurs, which leads to impaired blood flow to tissues and organs. As a result, the feet and hands are constantly cool.

Also, the symptoms of this disease include: heart palpitations, drowsiness, headache, absent-mindedness.

Diseases of the thyroid gland. When the thyroid gland malfunctions, an insufficient amount of hormones is secreted. The body does not have enough energy, and the limbs begin to freeze.

Diets are also often the cause of hands. Women exhaust themselves with strict dietary restrictions. Start eating low-fat foods. The body in this case does not receive enough carbohydrates, fats and proteins. In violation of the optimal functioning of the body, failures occur in the process of thermoregulation. That is why the feet and hands can be cold.

The presence of cold feet and hands can also be associated with the use of special medications, immune diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and heart. That is why you should never put off going to the doctor.

If you have cold hands, this may mean that he is either sick or. If at the same time he has lethargy and an elevated body temperature, then most likely it is the flu or acute respiratory infections. Immediately after recovery, this problem will pass.

In infants, cold hands should not cause much concern. Thermoregulation of infants is weak, so the palms can remain cool even in the heat. But if the child at the same time becomes inactive, drowsy and does not eat well, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Helpful Tips

If you want to keep your hands warm, experts recommend:

1. Do not forget to eat right. You should always have hot first courses in your diet. Ginger tea also warms and improves blood circulation.

2. Charging. Mornings should start with a light workout. It will help the body to tone up.

3. Dress for the weather. We must not forget to wear a hat and gloves in winter. Do not wear tight clothing and shoes. It impedes the flow of blood to the tissues.

4. Don't smoke. Remember: with each puff, a natural spasm of small capillaries occurs. As a result, the circulation of the limbs is disturbed.

Neither warm gloves, nor rubbing, nor playing sports help. Hands are constantly cold. Even those around you notice the "amphibious syndrome" and laugh - love does not warm. In fact, this is not a joke!

Cold hands are considered a female disease. Especially often, representatives of the fair sex from 15 to 45 years old complain about the lowered temperature of the extremities. This is due to the fact that in women the thermoregulation of the body is weaker than in men.Perhaps you just dress lightly and it's all about hypothermia. Then it is enough to reconsider your wardrobe. In addition, this is a common symptom in smokers, as well as with severe anxiety, fatigue. However, the basis of such a phenomenon may also be a disease.

Iron-deficiency anemia

Iron is the main component of blood hemoglobin - the main carrier of oxygen. Lack of iron leads to disruption of metabolic processes in cells, including energy ones. This is due to poor nutrition, impaired absorption of iron in the gastrointestinal tract, increased blood loss (nasal, uterine, etc.), with a special need for it (pregnancy, lactation, rapid growth), etc. Additional signals are pallor skin and mucous membranes, dizziness, fatigue, tinnitus, palpitations.

What to do?

First of all, a clinical blood test is needed. The normal level of hemoglobin in children under 6 years old is 110 g / l, in children over 6 years old and adults - 120 g / l. A special diet is important - less milk, more meat, fruits and vegetables. Iron preparations are taken in combination with ascorbic acid.

Vegetovascular dystonia

In this case, there are hot flashes and colds, lack of air, dizziness, then the blood pressure rises, then drops. Irritability increases, fatigue increases. From time to time disturbed by pain in the heart, tingling in various parts of the body. Moreover, the examination does not reveal signs of violations of organs and systems. The reason for the malaise is in the disruption of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the entire body.

What to do?

It often occurs against the background of many diseases, so it is important to undergo a complete examination, especially by an endocrinologist and a neurologist. Helps to cope with the disease physiotherapy, exercise therapy, psychotherapy.

Thyroid diseases

The thyroid gland is a key link in the hormonal regulation of the whole organism. With hypothyroidism (lack of thyroid hormones), metabolic processes slow down. There are lethargy and lethargy, drowsiness, excess weight. The person feels depressed. The face swells, especially the eyelids, the pulse slows down. The skin becomes dry, often flaky, thickened. The work of the mechanisms responsible for maintaining normal body temperature is disrupted. With a low level of thyroid hormones, a person often feels cold.

What to do?

It is important to undergo an examination by an endocrinologist, to do an ultrasound of the thyroid gland, to pass a general blood and urine test. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe additional X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, etc.

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Diabetes

This is a disease of complications. Vascular damage leads to heart attacks and strokes, blindness, kidney failure. But it all starts small, due to insufficient blood circulation, hands and feet become cold.

What to do?

Early diagnosis is very important to prevent irreversible changes in the insulin-producing pancreas. A glucose tolerance test is required at the age of 45 years - once every 3 years, after 45 years - annually.

Atherosclerosis

There is a seal and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries, a narrowing of their lumen, followed by a violation of the blood supply to the organs. Hence the cold hands. With damage to the vessels of the brain, tinnitus, dizziness, memory loss, and headache are noted. Nutrition with an excess amount of animal fat, a sedentary lifestyle, psycho-emotional overstrain can lead to this disease.

What to do?

Conduct ECG, ultrasound of the heart and blood vessels, rheovasography, angiography, coronary angiography, measure blood pressure, examine the level of lipids (cholesterol, etc.), blood sugar.

Osteochondrosis

Deformation and thinning of the intervertebral discs, muscle spasm lead to compression of the spinal cord, surrounding nerves and blood vessels. Blood circulation is disturbed, hands and feet become cold, there is a feeling of numbness and aches, constant aching pain in the back, headache, dizziness.

What to do?

You need to see a neurologist. Comprehensive treatment includes physical therapy, physiotherapy, massage, manual therapy, traction (traction) of the spine, reflexology, drug therapy. In difficult cases, surgery is possible.

Scleroderma, Raynaud's syndrome

The fingers or toes become cold, numb, they have a tingling sensation, while they become white or even bluish in color. This happens under the influence of stress or temperature exposure and can last from several minutes to several hours. At the end of the attack, the bluish skin turns red, heat and pain appear. This is Raynaud's syndrome - one of the manifestations of scleroderma. As a result of damage to the blood vessels, many organs and tissues of the body are affected, especially the skin. The face takes on a mask-like appearance, it is difficult to open the mouth. It is believed that scleroderma stimulate viruses, poisoning, congenital predisposition. In women, this disease occurs 5 times more often than in men.

What to do?

At the first symptoms, it is urgent to contact a dermatologist first of all. Laboratory testing of blood, urine, immunodiagnostics, X-ray examination of bones and joints, ultrasound of internal organs, cardiodiagnostics are carried out.

text: Tatyana Gaverdovskaya

The body of each person always signals problems in a certain way. However, some states of the body may seem quite normal to a person. In this article, I would like to tell you why and depending on what there may be cold extremities of the hands and feet.

Reason 1. Vegetovascular dystonia

Why can a person have cold feet and hands? The reasons are very varied. However, this symptom is often the result of a disease such as It is worth saying that urban residents are more susceptible to this disease than rural areas. Concomitant symptoms in this case: frequent headache, absent-mindedness, drowsiness. Various vascular problems may occur. With this disease, blood circulation in the body is disturbed, which leads to the fact that the hands and palms of a person can be constantly cold.

Reason 2. Anemia

Cold and feet may indicate a disease such as In this case, a person in the body has a lack of such a trace element as iron. And this, in turn, leads to the fact that the body loses heat much faster.

Reason 3. Improper nutrition

If a person has very hands, the reasons can be hidden even in malnutrition. Namely - in the consumption of predominantly low-calorie foods. Especially often this symptom is observed in ladies who constantly exhaust their body with all kinds of diets. It must be remembered that for the normal functioning of the body, you need to consume a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as well as trace elements daily. If a person eats little fat, his body loses heat faster than usual, which causes cold extremities.

Reason 4. Diseases of the thyroid gland

Constantly cold feet and hands can be in those people who have problems in the functioning of the thyroid gland (thyroid gland). With some disorders, this organ produces an insufficient amount of hormones for the normal functioning of the body. As a result, a person has little energy, he often freezes for no reason. To understand that a person has problems with the thyroid gland, the following symptoms will help:

1. Irritability.
2. Forgetfulness.
3. Irregularity of the menstrual cycle (for women).
4. Sensation of a "lump" in the throat.
5. Hoarseness of voice.
6. Hair loss.
7. Bad skin condition.
8. Weight gain with normal diet.

If at least some of the symptoms listed above are found, you should definitely seek medical help. Indeed, in addition to cold extremities, thyroid diseases can also have a more negative effect on the body.

Reason 5. Poorly developed muscles

Always the legs of those people who have poorly developed muscles or whose body is not physically developed enough. Everything is simple here. After all, constant stress leads to improved blood flow. Otherwise, the blood does not supply the organs enough. Therefore, there may be a constant feeling of cold extremities.

Reason 6. Clothes

If a person has cold feet and hands, the reasons may be hidden even in clothes. In this case, again, normal blood flow plays a role. If the clothes or shoes are too tight, the blood cannot fully nourish certain parts of the body. What causes this symptom.

Reason 7. Special diseases

If a person has constantly very cold hands and feet, this may be evidence of the following diseases:

1. Raynaud's syndrome. In this case, small terminal vessels such as capillaries, arteries and arterioles are affected.
2. Scleroderma. This is a disease associated with the pathology of the connective tissue. This disease is systemic.

It is worth saying that these are autoimmune diseases, the causes of which are malfunctions of the immune system.

Reason 8. Heredity

The next reason why a person has cold hands and feet is a hereditary factor. So, if some family members had a similar phenomenon, there is a risk of its occurrence among representatives of the next generations.

Reason 9. Cold

Cold hands and feet can be in a person who is sick with even the most common cold. In this case, the patient often has temperature drops, when he feels either cold or hot. The extremities in this case also react to this condition and are often constantly or alternately cold.

Reason 10. Drugs

Cold fingers and toes can also occur in those people who are being treated with immunomodulatory or hormonal drugs. This symptom occurs due to the action of certain substances in the medicine on the human body.

babies

It often happens that young children have cold feet and hands. The reasons for this are simple: the whole point is that before the end of the first year of life, the children have not yet set up a thermoregulation mode. This is what can cause such a problem as cold hands and feet.

How to do it right?

Before taking certain measures, you need to figure out why a person has cold hands and feet. So, for this you need to go to the appointment with the doctor. First you need to seek the advice of a therapist. Then he will redirect the patient to the right specialists. After all, only by eliminating the cause, you can deal with the problem itself.

What to do?

If a person has passed all the necessary examinations and realized that certain diseases are not the cause of cold hands and feet, you can also try to cope with this problem on your own.

1. Contrasting douches perfectly improve blood circulation. However, here you need to remember that you need to start the procedures with a small temperature contrast, gradually increasing it. A sharp entry into such a mode of life can cost a person health.
2. Massage or rubbing the skin can cope with cold limbs. These activities also improve blood circulation.
3. Sport is another means of dealing with cold hands and feet. And all because it not only improves blood circulation, but also positively affects the state of the body as a whole. So, during sports, the human body emits a large amount of heat that can warm everything, even fingers and toes.
4. Warm drinks. If a person’s hands and feet become cold depending on the ambient temperature, you can try to warm up with drinks. Most often, preference is given to hot tea or coffee. If a person is on the street, it is possible to warm not only the arms and legs, but the whole body with the help of mulled wine (warm wine).
5. In the cold season, you need to choose the right shoes and clothes. So, all household items should not constrain movements and be too tight. In addition, shoes and clothing should be made from natural materials.
6. In the summer, you need to relax as often as possible near open water. This is necessary in order to improve the thermoregulation of the body. After all, temperature changes perfectly train the body and in the cold season help the body to adapt faster on the street.
7. Another pretty effective way to deal with cold hands and feet is to take fish oil regularly. It is able to increase the body's resistance to cold. If cold hands and feet are caused by a low level of hemoglobin in the blood, then pomegranate juice and pumpkin should be consumed in large quantities.

Did you know that in British law, cold hands and feet of a spouse were officially considered a legal reason for divorce? How often do we encounter unreasonably cold temperatures of the hands and feet, even during the heat of summer! What is the reason that the hands and feet can be almost icy, and is there any way to deal with this?

In fact, cold hands and feet can be a manifestation of completely different conditions and be due to different reasons. Inadequate blood supply to tissues, low blood pressure, chills, and even Raynaud's phenomenon and cold urticaria are just some of the possible reasons that your touch is the touch of the Snow Maiden.

The cradle of mankind is the tropics. We feel most comfortable in the warmth, and the slightest drop in ambient temperature leads to the fact that the body throws all the resources to provide vital organs and systems. And he does this at the expense of our "periphery": arms, legs, nose, ears.

Let's leave aside frostbite and chills (erythema pernio, perniosis), as extreme cases of tissue damage by low temperature and humidity. Also, we will not consider the Raynaud phenomenon, which manifests itself in the pathological narrowing of the blood vessels of the fingers and toes during hypothermia. All these cases require mandatory medical intervention. These are injuries or manifestations of fairly serious diseases with pronounced symptoms (ulcers, discoloration of tissues, etc.). But what if the hands are cold without any extreme, in a hot room or on a sunny beach?

The most common causes of cold hands and feet

• genetic predisposition to vasoconstriction at the slightest fluctuation in ambient temperature. This type of reaction is more typical for women, and is associated with fluctuations in estrogen, a hormone that plays a large role in thermoregulation of body temperature.
• The manifestation of diseases, the list of which is quite long. First of all, diabetes, anemia, hypothyroidism, lupus, vitamin B12 deficiency. Only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis, and he will also prescribe the appropriate treatment and diet.
• Manifestation of vegetovascular or neurocirculatory dystonia. In this case, the problem is functional in nature without organic causes, and the problem is quite simply eliminated by exercise, diet, lifestyle changes, and just time.
• Are cold hands and feet your only complaint and are you generally healthy? Least, you lack physical activity, and in this case, exercise should help you.

What to do if you have cold hands and feet?

• Take a close look at your wardrobe: the body must be reliably protected from low and uncomfortable temperatures for the body. And do not focus on the "hot guys" walking around in light clothes in the cold: the most important criterion for choosing clothes is your comfort and health.
• Save money on heating your home, or at least do not neglect socks and slippers.
• Warm up from the inside. In traditional oriental medicine, it is recommended to take special "warming" food in cold weather, which enhances peripheral blood circulation and stimulates the immune system. Ginger, garlic, or even cayenne pepper are the most effective ways to "warm up the blood" with food.
• Nature offers us excellent means of regulating blood circulation.. Infusion of hawthorn and ginkgo biloba has an excellent tonic effect, especially useful for stimulating peripheral circulation.

Aromatherapy for cold hands and feet

And of course, aromatherapy offers effective ways to cope with the problem of cold extremities. Essential oils of ginger, eucalyptus, black pepper, nutmeg and juniper not only stimulate blood circulation, but also activate the immune system. Add a few drops of ether to massage or vegetable oil and massage your limbs - and you will feel a quick burst of warmth.

An excellent effective recipe presented by French professor Dominique Davenn . The tool is a specially selected composition of essential oils with vasodilating and anti-inflammatory effects. This essential mixture is suitable both for regular use for the problem of cold hands and feet, and as an emergency remedy for the initial stage of frostbite.

Mix essential oils in a dark glass bottle:

• wintergreen 30%
• lemongrass or litsea 25%
• chamomile 7%
• sandalwood 6%
• myrrh 5%
• sweet orange 27%

You can use the resulting mixture in the form of local baths, after dissolving 10-15 drops of the mixture in a solubilizer (sea salt, honey,). Can also be added to massage oil: 5-7 drops per 10 ml of oil (almond, peach, macadamia, etc.)

What else should and should not be done by owners of cold hands and feet

• Avoid caffeine in any form: it constricts blood vessels, exacerbating the problem.
• Do you smoke? Drop it! Smokers are more prone to cold extremity syndrome due to the fact that smoking reduces blood flow to the capillaries of the hands and feet. Once you get rid of the bad habit, you will quickly feel the improvement.
• Breathing exercises (qigong, Buteyko method, Strelnikova method) are a very effective way to improve peripheral blood supply, and in the shortest possible time - literally in a couple of minutes.

Questions, comments and feedback

Cold hands, warm heart. This proverb is known to all. Only one problem - it is very far from the truth.

Why are your hands always cold? This indicates health problems. This symptom is more common in women than in men. What is it connected with?

It is impossible to establish one specific reason why hands are cold. The circulatory system and thermoregulation in the body in men and women are completely different. This reason just explains why women with this symptom are more common than men.

Of course, no one excludes those examples in life when a person was in the cold for a long time and therefore his hands froze. In order to solve such a problem, it will be enough to go into a warm room, drink warm tea or put on warm clothes. This is a normal reaction of the body to a low temperature in the street. But what to do if this symptomatology arose in the summer?

• One of the reasons that many can have and lead to this symptomatology is excessive excitement. This leads to narrowing of the blood vessels in the tissues, including the palms. Because of this, pallor of the skin may first be observed, and then the predominance of a blue tint. Not only hands are cold, but also feet. You can deal with this easily and simply: for this you just need to calm down.
• Low calorie food. No one can think that a person who does not eat properly can experience this symptom. All women dream of losing weight and begin to torment their body with all sorts of diets. Without having a good nutrition, which is necessary for a good life, a person may notice health problems. The lack of trace elements, carbohydrates, fats, proteins adversely affects health.
• Narrow jewelry. Rings, watches, bracelets, gloves - everything that squeezes blood vessels.
• Stress, frequent nervous overload also do not go away just like that. They can become the main and additional cause of circulatory disorders in the hands, then the problem will be solved.

Causes of circulatory disorders in the hands

• A sedentary image, "sedentary" work. In this regard, the arms and legs become numb, blood circulation and lymph outflow are disturbed.

What to do?

• Change after a certain time the load and relaxation. If you sit for 40 minutes, then you should do exercises for 10 minutes.
• Hand massage. Give yourself a light hand massage every evening and morning. Rub your palms first, then lightly pinch your fingers.
• Physical exercises. It sounds strange, but it's true. It happens that when you enter the room, your hands are still cold for a long time. Do a few exercises and you will see a wonderful result: the blood will quickly begin to circulate throughout your body.
• If not only the hands are cold, but also the legs, then the park will help. Pour hot water into the basin and put your feet in it. Top up with hot water periodically for 10 minutes.
• Clothing. It is recommended to give preference to wide clothing. Things that tightly wrap around the body disrupt blood circulation and lead to impaired blood circulation in the tissues.
• Proper nutrition. Products must contain a large number of trace elements necessary for the body.
• Spices. It is necessary to use a large amount of spices during cooking. For example, red pepper, mustard, ginger.
• Smoking and constant nervous tension.

Smoking negatively affects the walls of blood vessels, just like stressful situations. Especially if a person destroys his body due to these factors for a long time.

• Give up bad habits.
• Eliminate from your life the irritant that provokes the symptom.
• Disease. Cold hands in people may be a symptom of another, more serious condition.
• Atherosclerosis. Additionally, there is tinnitus, frequent headaches, a sharp change in weight. To solve the problem, you need to go to the doctor. Follow a diet, cleanse your body of toxins and toxins, give up bad habits.
• Vegetative-vascular dystonia. In addition to the fact that a person’s hands freeze for this reason, he also has sudden changes in pressure, increased fatigue, dizziness, increased body temperature, and colitis in the heart. To solve the problem, you need to see a doctor.
• Thyroid problems. Too much or too little thyroid hormone can also lead to cold hands. Increased fatigue, failure of the heart rhythm, slowness in movements, the skin becomes dry. For an accurate diagnosis, you need to consult a doctor and undergo a series of studies.
• Insufficient amount of iron in the blood. Frequent manifestations are pallor of the skin, palpitations, weakness, dizziness. You need to take a blood test.
• Weather. This is the most common reason.

How to treat?

• Dress according to the weather outside, not fashion. In order not to freeze your hands, you need to wear warm boots and a jacket in winter.
• Drink warm drinks.
• Take a hot bath often.

But there are cases when a person not only gets cold hands, but also sweats a lot. This is often observed in guys, especially of a transitional age. This phenomenon can lead to the presence of a large number of complexes.

This is a normal reaction of the body if a person is engaged in physical labor or at an elevated temperature in the room. But, if the hands sweat without the above reasons, this may indicate a violation of the body.

If this problem does not go away for a long time, then other symptoms appear in parallel. For example, cracks, fungal infections, skin peeling.

The most common reasons:

• Serious disorders of the cardiovascular system.
• Cancer diseases.
• Diseases of the blood.
• Heredity.
• Diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2.
• Diseases of the endocrine system.
• Infectious diseases of an acute or chronic nature.
• Women who have entered the climatic period.

Such a problem as icy hands can be not only in adults, but also in a child. If a mother walks with a baby on the street and, having touched the arms or legs, noticed that they are cold, there is no reason to worry. But if this all happens indoors, then you need to see a doctor.