Do you find yourself constantly shivering and wondering why you’re always cold, even when everyone else around you seems perfectly comfortable?
If so, you’re not alone.
In this article, we’ll delve into the reasons behind your perpetual chill and explore effective solutions to combat it.
Let’s uncover the mysteries of your cold intolerance together.
Constantly feeling cold? Learn why and how to stay warm with our expert tips. Say goodbye to shivers and embrace comfort today!
Understanding the cold: An energy deficiency
If you’re plagued by persistent cold sensations, it’s highly likely that your body is experiencing an energy deficit.
Your body’s cells produce energy, but three crucial factors come into play: the thyroid, your dietary choices, and blood sugar levels.
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The thyroid’s role
The thyroid gland functions as your body’s internal thermometer, equipped with countless receptors within your cells.
It produces hormones that are dispatched to these cells, influencing their performance.
Optimal thyroid hormone production keeps your bodily functions in sync, while reduced hormone levels slow things down, affecting energy production, heart rate, digestion, nerve transmission, and more.
Think of it as a thermostat for your body’s energy.
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The importance of nutrition
Once the thyroid guides your cells, two vital components become essential for normal functioning: energy and oxygen.
Energy derives from the food you consume, and if you’re not eating enough or have an imbalanced diet due to restrictive eating habits, your body enters a “safe mode” to conserve resources.
This explains why cutting calories may not lead to weight loss; instead, your body stores more as it senses an energy shortage.
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Hypoglycemia’s impact
Unstable blood sugar levels can lead to hypoglycemia, a condition where your metabolism is closely tied to carbohydrates and sugar.
Consuming sugary foods causes insulin spikes, aimed at reducing blood sugar.
However, your body may overreact to lower sugar levels, resulting in hypoglycemia.
Combined with energy deficiency, this can lead to a daunting scenario.
To address this, you must revamp your diet, eliminating sugary foods, bread, and processed items to establish a healthier and more balanced eating routine.
Oxygen deprivation
Just like any manufacturing process, cells require oxygen in addition to energy.
Blood is the carrier of this vital oxygen, with red blood cells and hemoglobin playing key roles.
A shortage of red blood cells or low hemoglobin levels leads to anemia, diminishing the oxygen transported, ultimately affecting your energy levels.
Common reasons behind perpetual cold sensations
Summarizing the parameters we have just mentioned, here are the most common reasons why you feel a permanent feeling of cold.
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Anemia
A lack of red blood cells leads to anemia due to a lack of oxygen supplied to the cells.
And since one of the functions of these cells is to regulate body temperature, you feel cold.
Iron or vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia.
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Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can cause anemia, kidney and blood circulation problems that generate a feeling of cold.
It can also damage the peripheral nervous system.
The sign that should alert you is above all to have permanently cold feet, although they are normal to the touch.
You may also experience temporary numbness and pain in your hands and feet.
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Hypothyroidism cold intolerance
Cold intolerance is a major sign of hypothyroidism.
In this case, your thyroid is underactive.
Hormone levels are out of order, and your metabolism slows down and prevents your body from generating enough heat.
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Blood Pressure
Blood vessels do not carry blood to the extremities but redirect it to vital organs.
The result is cold hands and feet.
Blood pressure that is too low or too high induces symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, weakness, and confusion.
Medical advice is strongly recommended to detect high blood pressure or low blood pressure.
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Dehydration
You might not realize it, but water helps regulate body temperature.
It helps metabolism by processing what you eat to create energy and heat.
If you don’t drink enough water, you slow down your metabolism and no longer make enough energy to keep your temperature stable.
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Stress
Anxiety and stress are often linked to sleep problems.
Anxiety provokes the secretion of adrenaline, the stress hormone, which tends to redirect blood circulation to noble organs, thus depriving the extremities, arms and legs, of normal irrigation.
You will then notice cold hands and feet.
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Aging
Older people are often very sensitive to cold simply because their metabolism is slower.
In addition, as you age, the loss of muscle mass further increases the feeling of cold.
Combatting cold intolerance: Solutions and supplements
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Iodine – Selenium
If hypothyroidism is the cause of your constant cold feeling, you are obviously suffering from iodine and selenium deficiency.
Indeed, these minerals along with zinc support thyroid function.
Iodine is essential for the production of hormones.
You should know that in the thyroid hormones names T3 and T4, the numbers indicate the number of iodine molecules.
If you want to supplement with iodine, choose a natural seaweed supplement like this one (ad) for better efficiency.
For their part, selenium and zinc are necessary to convert the inactive form of the hormones into the active form, the T3 hormone.
A simple deficiency of one of these minerals can be the cause of your feeling of cold.
The recommended dosages are 200µg per day for selenium (ad) and 12 to 15mg for a zinc bisglycinate (ad) with better bioavailability.
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Iron
Iron causes anemia, as does vitamin B12.
People with anemia are cold all the time.
Iron is also involved in the metabolism of certain fats which are involved in thermoregulation.
It is nevertheless prudent to carry out a blood test in a laboratory before any supplementation to assess your ferritin level.
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Vitamin B12
Like iron, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia.
It is therefore recommended to take a cure of a B12 methylcobalamin supplement (ad), the most naturally occurring and absorbable form of this vitamin, to determine if you are not deficient.
Insufficient levels of vitamin B12 often lead to a reduced number of red blood cells, which affects oxygen transport in the body.
The person then feels a constant cold, especially on the feet and hands.
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Vitamin B Complex
The generation of energy involves vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6.
If you suffer from a deficiency in B vitamins, you will have difficulty making cellular energy because the mitochondria are no longer as efficient.
Introducing a vitamin B complex (ad) will help restore overall energy while stabilizing your body temperature.
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Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency leads to muscle tension that causes narrowing of the arteries.
As blood circulation is slowed down, you feel a cold sensation in your feet and hands.
A magnesium bisglycinate supplement (ad) can help dilate blood vessels and restore normal circulation.
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Gingko Biloba
If your permanent cold problem is related to a circulatory problem, adding a Gingko Biloba supplement can really help.
This plant is well known for its beneficial effects on blood circulation and memory.
Studies have shown that it significantly increases blood flow by dilating blood vessels, especially in the eyes, legs, ears, and brain.
Gingko Biloba (ad) therefore increases blood flow to the extremities, thus preventing your hands and feet from being sensitive to the cold.
Understanding the cause of your cold sensitivity
People with excessive chilliness are not rare specimens.
It only takes a simple problem with blood circulation to feel icy extremities in winter or summer.
Hormonal imbalances are surely the second reason why many people feel permanently cold.
Finally, eating an unbalanced diet or following a diet for too long inevitably leads to a lack of energy that generates this inner cold.
There are natural remedies to improve blood circulation, reduce the symptoms of hypothyroidism, and restore an imbalance leading to anemia.
But to solve this cold sensitivity problem, it is important to try to identify its cause in order to manage it.
