Brrrrrr.

June 11, 2009 2:41 PM

Is my perception of being increasingly freezing cold a sign of something wrong with me?

I've always been colder than most other people, but lately it's been increasing to the point that I am starting to wonder if I have some underlying illness. I realize you are not my doctor, I should go to my doctor, etc... but I am just hoping to be better prepared with information when I do see him.

I am a woman, 35, normal weight (BMI 20), healthy diet. I don't exercise as often as I would like but walk around quite a bit. I have been fairly stressed out lately, FWIW.

I am pretty sure I have Reynauds (never formally diagnosed) which I am aware will affect my extremities. But this goes beyond that. For example, the other night I went to bed, it was about 60 degrees in the house, and I was freezing in flannel PJs under three blankets... I had to get up and put on another layer of fleece on top of the PJs. It seems like I feel colder than I remember ever feeling in the spring. Even when it's 75 degrees I need to put on a sweater, especially in the shade.

Any thoughts?

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (17 comments total)

I can give you some additional questions to think about:
Is your skin actually cold to the touch (get someone else to feel it)?
Do you feel weak or tired?
Have you checked for a fever?
posted by Librarygeek at 2:45 PM on June 11

I am pretty sure I have Reynauds (never formally diagnosed) which I am aware will affect my extremities.

I think this alone is reason enough to schedule a doctor's visit, if only to get some advice about what to expect and how to mitigate the symptoms.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 2:45 PM on June 11

IANAD.

Extreme sensitivity to cold is one of the symptoms of thyroid problems. Worth getting checked out, especially if you think you may also have Reynaud's.
posted by pecanpies at 2:47 PM on June 11

You sound like me. Part of the problem is this weather we've been having is weird. Part of the problem is that 60 is not that warm for a house. So if you're hanging out in the 60 degree house, you're slowly getting more and more cold without maybe noticing it (I do this anyhow) maybe you're reading or typing or something not getting you that warm. Maybe you're eating less than usual because your body's "furnace" isn't staying stoked. I guess the question is: are you getting cold when you SHOULD be not cold? Like when you exercise, when you have eaten normally, when you've been moving around etc? I don't have a lot of experience with Reynauds except that your hands would be -- if you're like the sufferers that I know -- nearly blue and immobile when the rest if you was chilled. Just getting in bed after being in a cold house and taking a long time to warm up seems normal to me, at least with the weird weather in my part of the world. So, you may be doing normal second week of June things while the earth is not feeding you second week of June weather.
posted by jessamyn at 2:48 PM on June 11

See a doctor and ask for a full thyroid panel. An endocrine work-up and electrolyte check couldn't hurt either. Take your temperature in the morning to determine if your whole system is running at a lower pitch.

Make sure you're properly hydrated, take a multivitamin/multimineral with extra C and a B complex, and exercise till you sweat every day. Do you skip meals? Don't! Eating small protein meals several times a day warms me up, too.
posted by aquafortis at 3:06 PM on June 11

Coming in to second or third the request for a full thyroid panel.

Also seconding the point that 60 degrees is COLD for a house.
posted by scody at 3:10 PM on June 11

Fourth on the thyroid. Intolerance of cold=classic symptom. Also, take you temperature when you first wake up in the morning (before you do anything or even climb out of bed) every day for a week and average the numbers. Lower than average? Possibly another symptom of thyroid trouble. You may actually be cold.

Lots of other possibilities, but thyroid can easily be ruled out--or in.

[Disclosure: IANAD, but I've had thyroid disease my entire life, both hyper- and hypo-.]
posted by ViolaGrinder at 3:36 PM on June 11

Get tested for Lyme Disease. I seem to recommend this a lot lately because I know too many people who have it. My father feels so cold that he wears a sweater while he mows the lawn. That symptom prompted many thyroid tests over several years (which never showed any thyroid problems). Turns out that he has Lyme Disease. Previous AskMeFi Lyme Disease discussion.
posted by ellenaim at 4:49 PM on June 11

I had this symptom, and a blood test revealed that I had iron deficiency anemia. It's fairly common for women to have it and it's easily fixed. My doctor put me on iron pills, and within a few days I was amazed at how warm my fingers felt. Before, I could put my feet on the radiator and they would still feel like blocks of ice. If you're a vegetarian, or you don't eat a lot of red meat, or if you drink a lot of tea, or you have really heavy periods—all of these things are risk factors for being iron deficient.
posted by hooray at 5:23 PM on June 11

I'm always cold, and I thought there was something wrong with me, and then I remembered I live in Wyoming.

So really, it makes perfect sense.
posted by elder18 at 6:11 PM on June 11

People are over-air-conditioning everywhere these days: in the workplace, on BUSES, for god's sake. I am miserable and have taken to bringing a cotton sweater with me everywhere I go.

I also have a relatively low BMI and have a thyroid disorder (for which I am taking medication). I think the excessive air-conditioning is unnecessary. It is a waste of money! It is causing global warming and destroying the environment! If I get angry enough I can raise my core temperature by a degree or two.
posted by bad grammar at 6:24 PM on June 11

I'm always cold too; my hands and feet are cold no matter how warm it is. I found out in my 30s that I have Thalassemia minor, a genetic blood disorder which causes a type of anemia. It must be hard to detect because it never showed up until my father informed me that he is a carrier and I had my blood tested for it. Just another thing for you to ask your doctor about (though it is fairly rare).
posted by TochterAusElysium at 6:28 PM on June 11

FWIW, low blood pressure can make one more prone to being cold when others are not. If that's the case, hydration, licorice extract, B vitamins, and exercise could help.
posted by sparrowdance at 7:38 PM on June 11

As I always say, ask for a full thyroid panel, and get the numbers from them! Don't settle for a verbal head pat of "your thyroid is fine!"
posted by jgirl at 8:03 PM on June 11 [2 favorites]

You may have a problem, and certainly get it checked out, but in the meantime: living in a house that's 60 degrees is not going to help! I think if you're not being currently active and not overweight, 60 degrees is ridiculously chilly. Some people like a cooler home at night, but that's always seemed a little wrong to me. Try setting the temperature to 73 and leaving it there till you figure out what's up. Also, just as a point of reference, if it's breezy and shady and I'm being inactive, I'll need a sweater up to around 72 degrees (maybe sometimes 75, especially if I'm sitting for a while, as in for a picnic), and I've never suspected anything other than that I'm a woman and young and not overweight.
posted by lorrer at 7:15 AM on June 12

My mother had this and she had both anemia and a thyroid problem. Get it checked out.
posted by mai at 12:00 PM on June 12

I have elevated blood pressure and no problems with my thyroid and I deal with this constantly. Living in Texas with this type of issue makes it worse - the A/C is always blasting no matter where I go and I have to wear long sleeves and slacks to work no matter what time of year it is (and constantly have a blanket on at home). I also have a lower than normal body temperature that hovers around 98 degrees.

I have done some fitness programs and they seem to help - if I am regularly exercising the problem seems to go away somewhat. (32/f if it matters)
posted by getawaysticks at 12:46 PM on June 12