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Move, warm up, stimulate circulation: five tips to get rid of cold hands and feet

20/10/2023

Translation: machine translated

An icy handshake and cold feet in bed? If this applies to you, neither the warmest recommendations nor the thickest woollen socks will do you any good. The real help is this text.

Wearing socks when your feet are cold is common sense. But if you have cold feet on a daily basis; whether in summer or winter; socks are at most a good start. Most of the time, there are reasons other than the cool ambient temperature. And even if you have permanently cold hands, it's better to bring out the heavy artillery rather than simply wrap them warm.

It's certainly not pleasant, but in most cases there's nothing to worry about, and there are a few tricks you can use to remedy the situation. For you, I've looked at the causes of this temperature difference, what you can do about it and when you should seek medical attention.

Cold hands and feet: what's behind them?

In general, these symptoms should not be a cause for concern. In rare cases, they accompany other illnesses such as hypothyroidism, cardiovascular diseases such as Raynaud's syndrome or anaemia. If, in addition, you have skin changes, swelling or if there is nothing to warm your hands and feet, you should consult a doctor.

On the other hand, it's perfectly natural for you to feel cold from time to time. And also that it affects your extremities more than the rest of your body. This is because, on the one hand, the skin and tissues of your hands and feet are particularly thin, and on the other hand, when it's cold, your extremities are less well supplied with blood by your body. It pumps more blood where it's needed most: to the vital organs in the centre of the body, to maintain a constant temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. If, instead, a toe freezes; stretching it a bit; it's a bearable loss.

If the temperature drops, it's the feet, hands or even the tip of the nose that get cold first. But even when it's hot, cold extremities can make you feel doubtful. Blood circulation is also often to blame: people who sit a lot on a daily basis, for example, have lower blood pressure, blood flow is reduced, there's not enough blood left in the hands and feet, and they become cold.

Do women really get cold feet quicker?

Women always get cold feet and spend the winter in thick woollen socks - so much for the cliché. In fact, women are more likely to have cold hands and feet, and get cold quicker than men. The reason for this is their thermal balance: men have on average 25 per cent more muscle mass than women, and this precisely produces body heat. For example, when you're shaking: small muscle movements can increase heat production in the body fivefold. Greater muscle mass therefore leads to more heat.

In addition, women have thinner skin, so their bodies are less well insulated and heat is lost more quickly. To compensate for these physiological disadvantages, the female body has found a trick: whereas in men, heat is distributed evenly throughout the body, women have to manage heat better and concentrate it in the centre of the body. As a result, the hands and feet cool down more quickly. What's more, women have narrower blood vessels which contract more with the cold, further disrupting blood flow to the extremities.

These tips help combat the permanent cold

Whether it's low blood pressure, poor circulation or chilly temperatures, people who regularly suffer from cold hands and feet are probably yearning for simple solutions. These tips help to keep warm and prevent cold extremities in the long term.

1. Warm the body from the inside out

One solution for cold hands and feet is to warm up from the inside out. A hot cup of tea or coffee, or another hot drink of your choice often helps to warm your body immediately. Ginger tea, in particular, has a warming effect and can therefore help to relieve cold extremities: this is according to a study published in the specialist journal Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. After drinking hot ginger tea, the subjects saw their palm temperatures rise significantly for 20 minutes, twice as long as in the control group who drank a hot drink without ginger.

2. Take a bath or footbath

If thick woollen socks no longer have any effect on cold feet, a hot bath will certainly do the trick. By adding a few drops of rosemary oil to the bath water, you can boost the warming effect even further: in a study on the Raynaud's syndrome mentioned above, which is symptomatically accompanied by cold hands and feet, this effect was demonstrated.

For those who don't want to take a hot bath in summer, footbaths and warm handbaths or an alternating shower are suitable for stimulating circulation. Alternating hot and cold promotes blood circulation, right down to the smallest nooks and crannies of your frozen toes.

3. Sport for cold hands and feet

Speaking of boosting circulation: what could be better than a bit of exercise to stimulate blood flow? Regular sessions of sport help to regulate blood pressure and dilate blood vessels. To avoid cold feet under the desk, simply stand up regularly and bend your knees a little to stimulate blood flow. To keep your blood circulation stable over the long term and thus prevent cold extremities, you should incorporate units of physical activity into your daily routine, whatever the season.

4. Massages

If you don't like sport and prefer to be pampered, a little massage to the cold parts of your body will also help. It promotes blood circulation and can even restore peripheral vascular function after intense physical exertion. A few minutes' massage is usually enough. You can also roll your feet under the desk on a massage ball or occasionally knead an anti-stress ball with your hands.

5. Live healthily

This tip is probably useful for all ailments big and small: a healthy lifestyle is often half the battle. Smokers often complain of cold feet: among other health risks, smoking constricts blood vessels and thus disrupts blood circulation. The stress also constricts the vessels by releasing adrenaline and anyone who doesn't get enough sleep becomes more sensitive to the cold. So to combat frostbitten toes and icy hands, it's often enough to do something seemingly mundane, like reducing stress and making sure you get plenty of sleep.

Headline photo: shutterstock

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Olivia Leimpeters-Leth

Autorin von customize mediahouse

oliver.fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm a sucker for flowery turns of phrase and allegorical language. Clever metaphors are my Kryptonite – even if, sometimes, it's better to just get to the point. Everything I write is edited by my cat, which I reckon is more «pet humanisation» than metaphor. When I'm not at my desk, I enjoy going hiking, taking part in fireside jamming sessions, dragging my exhausted body out to do some sport and hitting the occasional party.

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