Why Am I Always Cold

It is considered normal to feel cold in winters and hot in summers. But what if a person feels cold even when it is quite sunny and bright outside? Most of us in such a case would think that something is wrong with the body. However, this is only partly true. There are a lot of other reasons which can make a person feel cold. Let's have a look at some of the most common ones.

Reasons for Feeling Cold

Gender
Women are more likely to feel a wee bit colder than men. It is because of the presence of high levels of the hormone estrogen in them and also because they have more fatty deposits and lesser muscular tissues in their bodies, as compared to men.

Poor Diet
The diet of a person has a lot to do with the way he feels. So, if you are taking an unhealthy diet, i.e. you eat junk food most of the time or your diet lacks in the required nutrients and vitamins, or worse, you starve yourself and have lost tremendous amount of weight recently, it could make you weak, cold and tired. A poor diet, accompanied by rapid weight loss, is the perfect recipe for an abnormal body temperature.

Hormonal Imbalance
When a woman enters menopause or is pregnant, lots of hormonal imbalances take place inside her body. When the estrogen levels rise in a woman, they can produce lots of symptoms in her including constantly feeling cold. So, if a woman in perimenopause or a pregnant woman wants to know "why am I always feeling cold?", it is the change in the levels of estrogen hormone which is the prime culprit behind this feeling.

Under Weight
When a person eats food, the body, in order to help in digestion, sends blood towards the stomach. This leaves the other parts of the body with lesser amount of blood, thus making the body cold. In addition to this, if a person is underweight, he is bound to feel these changes in the temperature of the body even more severely than others.

High and Low Blood Pressure
People suffering from both these conditions i.e. high and low blood pressure, often find their feet and hands cold. If a person has low blood pressure, his blood flows very easily and thus, only a small amount is able to reach his hands and feet. On the other hand, in case of high blood pressure, the blood flows with a lot of difficulty and again, only a small amount reaches the extremities. Thus, both these conditions make a person feel colder than others.

Medication
If a person is taking some drugs or medicines, then they can produce side effects such as chills in that person, especially if the medicine is not suiting the person.

Thyroid Problems
If the feeling of coldness is accompanied by rapid weight gain, which even exercise and proper diet can not control, then probably the person is suffering from a thyroid problem. Thyroid problems slow down the metabolism process and thus, lower the body temperature in a person.

Weakened Immunity
Feeling cold can be experienced in two ways, i.e., either the entire body is cold or only the hand and the feet are cold. If you are experiencing the latter, the reason could be a weak immune system. A weak immune system could be due to the presence of parasites in the body, which make infections such as Candida, to affect the body easily, thus, weakening the immune system even more in the process.

Fatigue
If a person is tired, there is a great possibility that he might feel cold as well. Fatigue caused due to any reason, be it lack of sleep or stress, can certainly drop the body temperature of a person.

Raynaud's Phenomenon
People with this condition tend to have very cold hands and feet. When a normal person is subjected to an extremely cool temperature, the blood in his body moves towards the internal organs to keep them warm. However, in people with Raynaud's phenomenon, this same response takes place in an extreme. The blood flow to the skin is reduced to a very large extent, making the person feel cold.

Remedies for Improving Body Temperature

• For people who are constantly feeling cold, the first thing to do is to start taking a healthy, balanced diet. A diet which has the right amount of proteins, vitamins, fats and minerals. A balanced diet ensures that the body weight is appropriate and thus, it will help in maintaining the right body temperature.
• Skipping meals is something that should be completely avoided. It is a well-known fact that if a person is on fast or has skipped a meal, the body would not have enough energy and thus, would produce very less heat.
• Exercise, especially cardiovascular training, benefits the capillaries and improves circulation in general. Doctors say the best exercise is swimming. So, make it a part of your routine and see your body temperature improve.
• Massage the hands and feet immediately, after you feel you are getting cold. Self-massage with oils and black pepper, ginger, or cinnamon as it will help to warm your hands and feet.
• An effective home remedy for maintaining the right body temperature is to take warm hand and feet baths and then rub them with a terry cloth towel, before going to bed.

Feeling cold can be normal too, especially if it is felt in the mornings. Reason being that there is a huge gap between the dinner and the breakfast, which makes the stomach devoid of any food, i.e. empty by the morning. Due to this, the temperature of the body rises, and becomes more than the temperature outside, hence the person feels cold. Thus, feeling cold can be both normal as well as abnormal. In most cases, by making a few lifestyle changes, it can be easily overcome. However, chills caused due to a thyroid problem or any other medical condition, should be referred to a doctor, without fail.