Some people are naturally chilblains. However, if you are constantly cold, this can also be a serious sign of illness. We’ll tell you what’s behind it and when you should act.
When you freeze, your body lacks heat. You freeze either inside your body or on its surface. From a biological point of view, however, there is much more to the permanent chills than just that cold feet: With a strong cooling from the outside, the vessels contract, the blood circulation is disturbed and the body temperature drops. To counteract the threat of hypothermia, the body reacts with “defense mechanisms”, including muscle tremors.
Some groups of people are more prone to shivering than others. Women are more likely to get cold than men, and older people more quickly than younger people. Babies also freeze particularly quickly. Usually there is a harmless cause behind the cold. It becomes critical when the feeling of cold occurs suddenly and is accompanied by cold sweats, chills or fever. In these cases, everything points to an illness, so you should seek medical help as soon as possible.
Constant freezing as a sign of illness
Being cold all the time can be a serious warning signal from your body. Especially if you suddenly feel cold more often than usual, you should go to your family doctor. Possibly one of the following medical causes could be behind the feeling of cold:
- A low blood pressure can trigger the feeling of cold. Such hypotension causes symptoms other than chills, such as dizziness, paleness, and tingling legs or arms.
- In some cases, the cold is due to a thyroid disorder. With an underactive thyroid, metabolic processes in the body slow down. Regulating your body temperature also works more slowly, which is why you freeze. Other symptoms that indicate a lack of thyroid hormones include sleep disorders, fatigue or hair loss. Your family doctor can confirm or rule out the disease in a blood test by determining the so-called TSH value.
- Sometimes people freeze because they magnesium deficiency to have. This leads to circulatory disorders, which in turn manifests itself in the constant feeling of cold. Here, too, a medical examination helps to determine whether there is a deficiency.
- If you’re constantly cold, you might as well iron deficiency be responsible for it. The iron reserves in the body regulate, among other things, the oxygen supply and thus also the blood circulation. If the supplies are used up, the body shows this with tiredness and constant freezing.
Are you always cold? you can do that
If there is no organic cause for the cold, there are a number of things you can do yourself to regulate your body temperature:
- Although it may seem logical, you should dress warmer and – based on the layering principle – several layers of clothing wear on top of each other. These work like a thermal insulator and keep your body temperature constant.
- With hot drinks and a hot water bottle you can also counteract the feeling of cold. Homemade ginger tea is a good choice here, for example, because it has an anti-inflammatory effect and promotes blood circulation.
- Also sports and exercise help against cold. If you stand outside for a longer period of time in winter, you can keep your body warm with simple “exercises”. For example, rock your feet back and forth to activate blood circulation. To keep your body warm, exercise regularly and get some fresh air at least once a day.
- take care of yours eating and drinking habits. A negative fluid balance reduces blood flow so that your body no longer supplies the internal organs with sufficient blood. So make sure to always drink a glass of water or unsweetened tea in addition to coffee. For example, we recommend rosemary tea, because it pushes the circulation. Also read: Sport in sub-zero temperatures: What you should consider when jogging and co
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A study proves that nocturnal sleep deprivation upsets the body’s natural temperature and is more likely to result in heat loss. So you should make sure that you get enough sleep (at least seven hours). You can read more about this here: Tips for falling asleep: Practical sleeping aids.
Read more on Techzle.com:
- Cold feet: causes, possible diseases and home remedies
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- How cold balm protects you in winter – and 4 recommended brands