Do you find yourself – even on these sweltering days – complaining about having cold fingers and toes? If so, you’re not alone.
While this can often be nothing to worry about, chronically cold fingers and toes can sometimes be a sign of bigger health problems, especially if other symptoms develop such as changes in the colour or texture of your hands and feet.
Meghann Kirk, an internal medicine specialist, recently spoke to Women’s Health Magazine about why it happens, explaining that your hands and feet “are located far from the heart and have smaller blood vessels, meaning less blood flow to keep them warm”.
She added that losing a significant amount of weight can lead to your metabolism slowing down because your body is preserving calories, which can also cause hands and feet to become chillier.
However, there are a range of underlying health issues that can also cause cold hands and feet and if you often find yourself trying to warm them up, you might want to speak to your doctor to rule out anything concerning.
Conditions that can cause cold hands and feet
The following conditions can result in cold hands and feet, according to Healthline – even during these scorching days:
Anaemia
Often caused by an iron deficiency, anaemia is a condition where you have fewer healthy and properly functioning red blood cells than normal.
The iron deficiency that often characterises the condition means that your red blood cells don’t have enough iron-rich protein to transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, often resulting in cold hands and feet.
Arterial disease
There are many forms of this disease but all are caused by a narrowing of the arteries, reducing blood flow to legs and feet.
Diabetes
One of the symptoms that signifies diabetes is poor blood flow, often resulting in cold hands and feet. Diabetes also increases your risk of heart disease, which can cause narrowed arteries.
Finally, a feeling of pins and needles in the feet is often a result of nerve damage as a complication of the illness.
Hypothyroidism
Feeling chronically cold is a symptom of hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid is underactive and doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones to keep your body’s metabolic function running properly.
Raynaud’s disease
This is another condition that causes narrowing of the arteries, resulting in cold hands and feet as well as causing fingers to change colour, turning white, blue, or red.
Vitamin B-12 deficiency
A vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause neurological issues, including experiencing cold hands and feet.
If you’re experiencing chronically cold hands and feet, speak to your GP to ensure there’s no underlying conditions causing your chills.