A specialist doctor says that in most cases it is due to the extreme sensitivity of the skin and the nerves that connect to the hypothalamus region.
It's noon, the sun is shining and the ambient temperature is warm, but you feel cold; Your hands and feet are frozen, your nose is cold and you dress like an Eskimo... You are cold.
Why do some people feel colder than others? Nephrology specialist Nelson Zamora says that in most cases it is due to the extreme sensitivity of the skin and the nerves that connect to the hypothalamus region. “Feeling cold has to do with each person's perception, but it mainly depends on their body constitution,” he says.
For example, individuals who are thinner and with little muscle mass tend to feel low temperatures more intensely due to the absence of fat under the epidermis. “The skin protects the organs, but if it does not have layers of fat underneath and is very thin, it allows low temperatures to pass to the rest of the body, which causes a greater sensation of cold,” explains the specialist.
Hormonal disorders are also responsible for variations in body temperature. “Feeling cold can reveal hypothyroidism, which means that the thyroid does not secrete enough thyroid hormone,” details general practitioner Valeria Caba, who also warns that without the adequate level of this hormone, the metabolism slows down, which prevents the body from produce adequate heat.
Sex also has to do with it. They say that women are colder than men, and this is true. Although the body temperature in both is the same (37 C°), what makes the difference is the body mass. “In general, the male body is larger than the female body, which has less muscle mass; This causes them to cool down more easily,” indicates the nephrologist.
Before explaining another reason why women are colder, it is worth pointing out that the human body transports warm blood from the extremities to the center, where the organs and the heart are located. That is why hands and feet are the first to get cold. According to a study in the medical journal The Lancet, women generally have their hands and feet 3 C° lower than men, which causes blood flow to change rapidly and make them feel cold.
Lack of iron can be a factor for low body temperature. This mineral helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, bringing heat and other nutrients to the cells. The absence of this can also cause thyroid problems, which was already mentioned previously. Zamora warns that not sleeping well, stress and fatigue impact the body's thermal sensitivity. “Lack of sleep causes problems to the nervous system, affecting the brain mechanisms that regulate temperature.”
Now we can better understand the world of cold people, which is related to the biological and not the romantic, because they say that those who have cold hands... love for a day.
Heat for the cold
Consume chocolate: Whether in a drink or candy, this delicacy contains high levels of natural fats that provide calories, which naturally increase body temperature, as well as energy.
Soups and broths: Soups and broths are good allies to combat the body's cold. When consumed hot, it increases the thermal sensation.
Legumes: Source of vegetable proteins, which when cooked provide the necessary calories to generate heat in the body.
Clothing: Keeping your feet warm can be a good option to combat the feeling of cold throughout the body. It is not in vain that many even resort to thermal bags to sleep, because if their feet are frozen, the night will be long.
Metabolism: Increases chemical thermogenesis, that is, the ability of cells to generate heat through metabolic reactions through foods that have high calorie content such as pasta and bread.
Hormones: With physical exercises you can release hormones such as norepinephrine, adrenaline, thyroxine and thyritonin, which increase your body temperature. If you don't have time to go to a gym, try taking walks to generate physical activity and thus warm up.
Train the body: Because of the feeling of cold, there are those who always dress warmly, even when it is hot, so the body gets used to the shelter and what it needs is to learn to resist the drop in temperature. Avoid exaggerating with clothes and wear what you need to leave the house.
