Health

Are You Freezing Even When It’s Warm? Here Are 6 Reasons Why

August 5, 2020

Are You Freezing Even When It’s Warm? Here Are 6 Reasons Why

People are sensitive to the outer environment and the body reacts accordingly to the temperature. When the weather is cold we feel shivering and freezing, then we immediately put on something to get warm. When the weather is hot we try to get rid of unnecessary layers of clothes to feel comfortable. However, there some people who feel freezing even when its warm, their hands and toes are cold and they wear warm clothes.

What’s wrong with their body? Why they are freezing when the temperature doesn’t indicate to that? What are the reasons of the cold intolerance? Questions are many and all answers are in this article.

Why do we freeze?

We, as humans, are naturally warm-blooded creatures, which simply means that we have the ability to maintain our body temperature at a stable level. The normal level usually averages at around 37 degrees Celsius, despite whatever the temperature is on our environment. This means that whether you are in the middle of a very hot desert or stay in the coldest parts of Antarctica, your body will try it’s very best. It maintains an ideal temperature until it becomes too overwhelmed by its environment in which case, you’ll simply die.

We also have the ability to raise our temperature when we’re fighting against infection. So that bacteria and viruses will find it hard to replicate themselves, which is what exactly happens when we experience fevers. However, there are some people who can no longer properly regulate their core body temperature due to diseases and disorders. This ultimately leads them to develop a certain symptom called cold intolerance, where they’ll feel themselves shivering or freezing when it is warm.

You find yourself to be the only one complaining about being cold? And even adding layers of clothing still won’t bring you warmth and comfort? Then there’s a considerable probability that you are experiencing cold intolerance. The following might be the cause of why you’re developing such condition.

1. Anorexia

Anorexia nervosa or simply anorexia is an eating disorder that’s commonly characterized by a distorted body image due to the lack of necessary nutrients that is needed by the body to be able to keep a healthy weight. People with this condition often refrain from eating food even when they’re already very hungry. Some people expel their stomach contents through medications or by simply vomiting.

When you have anorexia, your body will find it very hard to stay warm since its regulatory functions rely on adipose tissues, specifically brown adipose tissues. This type of tissue utilizes the fat in our body to produce heat, which is then helps to maintain our body temperature. Since fat is really just extra calories, you won’t have enough of it unless you eat sufficient food.

2. Hypothyroidism

At the base of your neck, you’ll find an organ called the thyroid. Main task of this organ is regulating your metabolism as well as your body temperature. However, once your thyroid fails to create a sufficient amount of the necessary hormones, you’ll develop a condition called hypothyroidism.

A common symptom of hypothyroidism is cold intolerance. The hormones produced in your thyroid directly affect the functions and efficiency of the brown adipose tissues to convert fat to heat that’s used for body heat regulation.

3. Anemia

Another reason for cold intolerance can possibly be anemia, which occurs when your blood does not have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. Just like with the hormones produced in your thyroid, brown adipose tissues also need oxygen so that they can function and do their job properly. When these fat tissues do not get their necessary oxygen requirement, they won’t produce enough heat to keep your body at the normal temperature.

Usually, the reason for the lack of red blood cells is related to the lack of iron or vitamins such as vitamin B-12. Women of child-bearing years are especially are at risk of developing anemia due to menstruation or pregnancy.

4. Atherosclerosis

As stated earlier, your brown adipose tissues need oxygen to function properly. In our circulatory system, the heart pumps out blood that has already been filled with oxygen. The oxygen-rich blood then passes through the arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels and their task is delivering blood to the different parts of our body. However, substances such as cholesterol and saturated fats can build up and clog your artery walls, ultimately restricting your blood flow. This certain condition is called atherosclerosis.

Once blood flow is already restricted in your arteries, it can lead to an inadequate amount of oxygen needed by your brown adipose tissues to produce heat. It then results in the development of cold intolerance in your body.

5. Raynaud’s disease

Sometimes freezing occurs not as the sign of some kind of illness, and sometimes cold intolerance is not linked to any disorder. Raynaud’s disease is a condition in which blood vessels become narrow because of feeling stress or cold. Blood vessel spasms then cause the blocking of blood flow to the limbs. At that time a person feels cold in fingers, toes, nose and ears, and the surface of the skin becomes blue and white.

Raynaud phenomenon usually appears after some diseases, like atherosclerosis, autoimmune collection, after drugs that narrow the arteries, repeated injury, smoking or frostbite. It is a rare disorder and freezing or numbness “attack” may last from a minute to more than an hour.

6. Disorders of hypothalamus

Feeling cold all the time can also be a symptom of hypothalamus dysfunction. Hypothalamus is a part of the brain that controls pituitary gland which is responsible for many body functions.

Pituitary glands regulate the normal work of adrenal glands, thyroid glands, ovaries and testes. When thyroid glands dysfunction happens, thyroids become underactive as a result person may feel cold or freezing even when it is warm outside.

Main causes of hypothalamus disorders are brain injuries, surgery, tumor or radiation. Moreover, nutrition problems, genetic disorders and inflammation may also affect the normal function of hypothalamus.

This article is only to inform you and for spreading awareness of the main reasons for freezing when it is warm. Therefore, you should not treat this as a substitute for legitimate professional medical advice. If you’re starting to feel an unusual coldness that’s making you really uncomfortable, it’s best to get the consultation of your doctor as soon as you can.