Check your hands — are they warm right now? As I write this, my fingertips are cool, but not uncomfortably cold. How about your feet? My toes are a little cold, too, but a pair of socks will take care of that… right?
Cold hands and feet can strike at any time — holding a cold can of soda, washing dishes in cool water, standing barefoot on an uncarpeted floor. For some people, emotional stress is also a factor. A small percentage of people suffer from what is called Raynaud’s syndrome — an extreme sensitivity in the hands and feet to temperature changes and stress. People with Raynaud’s syndrome can have episodes where the fingers or toes turn a waxy white, then blue as small blood vessels narrow, limiting blood circulation severely. These episodes can last minutes or hours.
So how do you warm up those cold fingers and toes?
- Run your hands under warm water periodically if you are doing an activity that involves cold. This helps your blood vessels stay open — constant cold makes them want to constrict.
- Swing your arms in a circle. Moving like a windmill helps drive blood into the fingers.
- Sip a warm drink… but make it caffeine free and non-alcoholic. Caffeine and alcohol both cause the blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow. Stick to tea or warm apple cider.
- Wear loose, layered clothing to help stay warm all over.
- Cover your head during the cold weather — more than half of your body heat is lost from your head.
- Choose mittens over gloves. Keeping the fingers together helps generate warmth.
- Use oven mitts when handling frozen foods. Use an insulated drinking glass to keep your fingers from freezing.
- Cover that steering wheel. A cold steering wheel can drain the blood from your fingers fast. A steering wheel cover will give you a layer of protection.
- Use a mat or an area rug to protect bare feet.
- Keep the bedroom warmer than the rest of the house. Your metabolism tends to slow down when you’re sleeping. You can even wear socks and mittens to sleep for extra warmth on cold nights.
You should talk to your doctor if your cold fingers or toes start to develop sores or the discomfort forces you to limit your normal activities.