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May 18, 2012
By Alison Turner, Contributing Columnist
Do you feel cold all the time? Some of us know what it's like.
We're the ones who need the windows closed or the
thermostat turned upSome of us know what it´s like, and some
of us stare at the phenomenon with curiosity; some of us cram
scarves, sweaters, and hats into purses and backpacks
regardless of the season or where we´re going, and others
strut outside in a t-shirt without checking the weather; some of
us feel cold all the time, no matter what, and to others the idea
of wearing a sweater in that sweltering office is the picture of
abusurdity. Indeed, an article posted by CNN in 2005 reported
that in an average office environment, only 80% of the
employees feel comfortable (in terms of temperature) .
What´s going on with the other 20%?
How Is It Possible to Feel Cold When the Thermometer says
´Hot´? Our bodies have a thermostat center, perhaps much
like the one in your office building (for better or for worse). It
is our hypothalamus, located at the base of the brain, which
gives direction to the thyroid gland. In turn, the thyroid gland
produces hormones that regulate basal metabolic rate,
determining the speed at which our bodies burn food for
energy (see below). Our metabolism and body temperatures
are directly related: for example, if we step out of doors in the
middle of Boston winter in a t-shirt, the skin ¨tells¨ the
hypothalamus about this temperature change, which in turn
tells the thyroid gland to increase metabolism in order to create
more heat. And here´s the catch: every body´s ¨thermostat¨
system is different. Women, for example, have more irregular
body temperature systems because of menstrual cycles and
menopause, and also because they tend to have less dense
muscle than men.
Check out the list below of 10 more reasons (all supported by
recent research from experts) why you might be the lonely cold
soul in that room full of obnoxiously comfortable people.
1. Skipping Meals Can Make You Feel Cold
Did you know that skipping meals can make you colder?
Because we don't have enough time or because of religion,
distraction, or extreme fad diets, some of us may, from time to
time, skip a meal here or there.
While skipping an occasional meal may not seem like such a big
deal (or maybe it does, depending on the circumstances), it
could be to blame for your seemingly unusual feelings of cold.
Sometimes, if the body thinks it is “fasting” (even if this “fast”
is one meal long), the body produces less heat in an attempt to
conserve energy.
Here's why.
In 2011, a study conducted by researchers from various Italian
institutions and the Washington University School of medicine,
including Dr. Luigi Fontana with the Division of Nutrition and
Aging at the Istituto Superiore de Sanita in Rome, confirmed
the connection between calorie restriction such as fasting and
low body temperature.
Their study include 24 participants, who consumed a calorie
restricted diet for an average of six years, as well as 24 “age
and sex-matched sedentary” volunteers, who ate Western
diets. Mean measurements of day and night core body
temperatures were “significantly lower in the [calorie
restricted] group than in the [Western diet] group.” The
report concludes that long term calorie reduction is “associated
with a sustained reduction in core body temperature.”
If you don’t like to feel cold all the time, you may want to
consider your eating habits. Make sure that you both get
enough total calories, and that you don’t skip meals (which
might make your body think you’re “fasting). Keep in mind
that fat and muscle help to keep us warm , so that you don’t
have to sacrifice a healthy, slim figure in order to ward off the
cold.
2. Lack of Sleep Can Make You Feel Cold
You’re busy, you’re stressed, you’re not getting enough sleep
– and now suddenly you’re cold all the time, too? It turns out
that these symptoms may be related. The way that we sleep,
particularly the way that we wake up, could be to blame for
unusual feelings of cold.
In 2010, experts from various institutions in the Netherlands,
including Maan Van de Werken with the Department of
Chronobiology at the University of Groningen, analyzed a
specific type of sleep deprivation and its involvement in
thermoregulatory processes (body heat). Sixteen participants
were exposed to “artificial dawn”, which could dissipate “sleep
inertia,” and core body temperature and skin temperature were
measured in multiple intervals up to ninety minutes after
waking. Results showed that artificial dawn “accelerated” the
decrease in skin temperature after waking.
If you have an “artificial dawn” of your own, that is, something
waking you up before your body wants to wake up, and you
can change it, try to do so (perhaps closing the blinds at night
or unplugging the phone). Of course, many causes of “artificial
dawn,” say, children hungry for breakfast, or a work shift that
starts at 7am, are not so easily avoided. In any case, if you can’
t figure out why you’re feeling cold all the time, do the best you
can to get enough sleep.
3. High Blood Pressure, Cold, and Salt.
Most of us have heard the lecture on high blood pressure (also
known as hypertension) before, and most of us hear only the
bottom line: bad, bad, bad. Hypertension is bad because it
could lead to stroke, hypertension is bad because it could lead
to heart attack, hypertension is bad because it could lead to
kidney disease. Well folks, here’s another one: because in
hypertension the blood flows with difficulty so that only a small
amount of blood may reach the extremities, hypertension is bad
because it could lead to cold hands and feet. (Read more about
what your blood pressure should be at different ages.)
You’ve probably heard it before, but here’s yet another study
that confirms the awful news: a low sodium diet may reduce
blood pressure. This particular study, conducted in 2009 by
researchers from various Australian institutions as well as the
University of Alabama, including Dr. Eduardo Pimenta with the
Hypertension Unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in
Brisbane, examined how dietary salt restriction affected the
blood pressure of twelve people who already had
hypertension.
Results indicated that “excessive dietary sodium ingestion
contributes importantly to resistance to hypertensive
treatment,” so that reducing salt intake should be a part of
your treatment against high blood pressure.
Cold hands and feet may seem a trivial symptom of high blood
pressure, in comparison with stroke, heart attack, or kidney
disease: then again, it may be the small things finally convince
us to change.
4. How’s Your Immune System? If it´s Bad, Stop Smoking.
Our immune system is crucial to our everyday health, and its
weakening could influence more than we may think. A
weakened immune system could even produce cold feelings in
our hands and feet. If we want to keep our immune systems
strong, one of the best things we can do, according to research
from 2009, is to stop smoking.
In 2009 Mishra Jitendra with the Grand Valley State University
in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and colleagues, conducted a study
in response to the statement that “smoking causes a weak
immune system because of the carcinogen found in the
cigarettes.” Compiling several studies, the team states that
smokers use more sick days than non-smokers (a large U.S.
airline, for example, found that smokers missed work an
average of over 6 days a year, compared with under 4 days per
year for non-smokers), and that smoking employees are less
productive largely because of smoke breaks (four ten minute
smoke breaks each day results in one month less of work per
year than workers who don’t smoke). The study concludes
that smokers are “more absent, more prone to sickness, and
are less productive compared to non-smokers.”
Your employment status may be more important to you than
cold hands and feet – but why not potentially ameliorate both
problems at once, by putting down that cigarette?
5. Do You Have Hypothyroidism?
Continue reading page 1 page 2
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Bad Circulation -Top 10 Causes and Remedies / Foods That
Lower Blood Pressure / Foods That Help You Cotrol Blood
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