I'm not a lizard, am I?
September 13, 2011 10:44 AM Subscribe
After I spend a couple of hours curling, I come home and often get so cold my entire body shakes and I absolutely cannot warm up. What's going on and how do I stop it?
The longer explanation is this:
Once a week, I go curling. We're on the ice for 2-2.5 hours. It's standard hockey arena cold. I wear sweatpants and a t-shirt and my curling shoes have Thinsulate to keep my feet warm (plus I wear double-layer socks). I usually start out wearing my club jacket, which is quite warm but then discard it as I heat up (I do a lot of sweeping and I get warm and start sweating fast).
After the game, I often, but not always, go up to the bar for the customary drink. If I go to the bar, the chill seems to end up less - I assume because I warm up there - but I do still get it. I drive home and then when I try to go to bed I end up so cold that I've got a full body shiver, shaking head to toe. That the shiver doesn't happen until I get home and by that time I've obviously stopped sweating and it's all dried up. Plus, I'm not obviously cold, I feel just fine until I go to bed which could be 15 minutes to an hour after I get home. I often end up with every blanket I have on my bed, in full-on head to toe sweats, hat, sweaters, wool slippers, etc. and I'm still cold. In the winter when the heat is on in my apartment I'll turn it up past 85 before I leave and even then it still happens.
I'll shiver like that for maybe an hour and then eventually fall asleep. When I wake up I'm not, as you might expect, particularly warm. I feel just about right.
So what's going on? And how do I stop it? Because it sucks to be doing that at 3am when you have to be up in a few hours to go to work the next day.
The longer explanation is this:
Once a week, I go curling. We're on the ice for 2-2.5 hours. It's standard hockey arena cold. I wear sweatpants and a t-shirt and my curling shoes have Thinsulate to keep my feet warm (plus I wear double-layer socks). I usually start out wearing my club jacket, which is quite warm but then discard it as I heat up (I do a lot of sweeping and I get warm and start sweating fast).
After the game, I often, but not always, go up to the bar for the customary drink. If I go to the bar, the chill seems to end up less - I assume because I warm up there - but I do still get it. I drive home and then when I try to go to bed I end up so cold that I've got a full body shiver, shaking head to toe. That the shiver doesn't happen until I get home and by that time I've obviously stopped sweating and it's all dried up. Plus, I'm not obviously cold, I feel just fine until I go to bed which could be 15 minutes to an hour after I get home. I often end up with every blanket I have on my bed, in full-on head to toe sweats, hat, sweaters, wool slippers, etc. and I'm still cold. In the winter when the heat is on in my apartment I'll turn it up past 85 before I leave and even then it still happens.
I'll shiver like that for maybe an hour and then eventually fall asleep. When I wake up I'm not, as you might expect, particularly warm. I feel just about right.
So what's going on? And how do I stop it? Because it sucks to be doing that at 3am when you have to be up in a few hours to go to work the next day.
Have a long, hot shower or bath right before you go to bed?
On preview: yes, and a hot beverage.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:51 AM on September 13, 2011
On preview: yes, and a hot beverage.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:51 AM on September 13, 2011
My girlfriend gets this from time to time. We call it "terminal cold," and the best cure is always a scalding hot bath, immediately followed by a scalding hot shower.
posted by saladin at 10:51 AM on September 13, 2011
posted by saladin at 10:51 AM on September 13, 2011
Buy a heating pad, turn it on, and stuff it between your sheets while you brush your teeth/get ready for bed. You'll crawl into an environment that's already super warm and toasty instead of having to rely on your body heat to warm up all your bedclothes.
posted by phunniemee at 10:59 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 10:59 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Wear smartwool socks. Change your outfit immediately after curling, even if you're going home - at the very least, remove your sweaty shirt and socks.
Are you not taking a warm shower when you get home?
posted by barnone at 10:59 AM on September 13, 2011
Are you not taking a warm shower when you get home?
posted by barnone at 10:59 AM on September 13, 2011
If you are wearing cotton, you need to switch to something that can provide warmth when damp, like wool or silk. At the very least, like previous advice, change out of your sweat-drenched clothing as soon as you finish exerting yourself. And don't throw a wool sweater over a sweaty cotton t-shirt. Damp cotton against your skin is what you are trying to avoid.
posted by Foam Pants at 11:09 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Foam Pants at 11:09 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I get this A LOT. As far as I can tell, it's because I don't feel cold when I'm actually cold, and so I don't dress warmly enough and get deeply chilled. I find I can prevent it if I dress more warmly than I think I need to - I am actually physically comfortable being slightly chilly (except for the after effects) so I have to dress warmer than my immediate comfort level. Try warmer socks, a hat and one of those fine merino knit shirts like you can get for biking maybe. Also, are your hands or arms bare? I find that I do better when I'm fully scarfed/gloved, even if the rest of me is in just one layer.
posted by Frowner at 11:15 AM on September 13, 2011
posted by Frowner at 11:15 AM on September 13, 2011
Are you eating anything after all that exercise? My blood sugar will drop some period of time after a good workout and all the hot showers in the world aren't enough to warm me up.
I don't feel hungry, but if I have a banana or some peanut butter I feel better within 15 minutes. You may not feel as cold on the days you stop for a drink simply from the calories you get from the alcohol and/or mixers. I prevent the chills by having a little snack (~100 calories works for me) right after a big workout even before showering.
posted by the_shrike at 11:42 AM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
I don't feel hungry, but if I have a banana or some peanut butter I feel better within 15 minutes. You may not feel as cold on the days you stop for a drink simply from the calories you get from the alcohol and/or mixers. I prevent the chills by having a little snack (~100 calories works for me) right after a big workout even before showering.
posted by the_shrike at 11:42 AM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
You may not feel as cold on the days you stop for a drink simply from the calories you get from the alcohol and/or mixers.
Yeah, I sometimes get really cold after walking home from work in the winter and I don't feel better until I eat, then I feel fine quite fast. So I also wonder if you're eating afterwards and, if so, what. A snack as soon as you come off the ice might be a good idea to go along with all the changing clothes and having a hot shower etc.
Also, it might be hitting when you go to bed because that's when you stop moving around and generating heat. Your blood flow slows as you relax anyway and it's difficult to warm up in that situation. When I lived somewhere without heating I found that after the warm snack, hot shower, and putting on piles of warm pjs, jumping around for a bit right before getting into bed made it a lot easier to sleep. It needed to be enough to to get my blood pumping and rewarm up my core, but not so much I'd start sweating, so five minutes dancing crazily around the bedroom to happy music then right into bed was about perfect. The nights I didn't do that I had iceblock cold feet no matter how many pairs of socks I squeezed on there, the nights I did I was fine. So that's another thing you could try.
posted by shelleycat at 12:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I sometimes get really cold after walking home from work in the winter and I don't feel better until I eat, then I feel fine quite fast. So I also wonder if you're eating afterwards and, if so, what. A snack as soon as you come off the ice might be a good idea to go along with all the changing clothes and having a hot shower etc.
Also, it might be hitting when you go to bed because that's when you stop moving around and generating heat. Your blood flow slows as you relax anyway and it's difficult to warm up in that situation. When I lived somewhere without heating I found that after the warm snack, hot shower, and putting on piles of warm pjs, jumping around for a bit right before getting into bed made it a lot easier to sleep. It needed to be enough to to get my blood pumping and rewarm up my core, but not so much I'd start sweating, so five minutes dancing crazily around the bedroom to happy music then right into bed was about perfect. The nights I didn't do that I had iceblock cold feet no matter how many pairs of socks I squeezed on there, the nights I did I was fine. So that's another thing you could try.
posted by shelleycat at 12:12 PM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Seconding the low blood sugar. I've hit the same cold during long bike rides, and eating some power goo will knock it right down. So take a Cliff bar or something and eat it right after practice.
posted by doctor_negative at 12:23 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by doctor_negative at 12:23 PM on September 13, 2011
A lot of campers on really cold camping trips will eat nuts or an energy bar just before bed so they sleep warm. I have tried this on a really cold night and it worked great. So, seconding those food suggestions.
posted by circular at 12:53 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by circular at 12:53 PM on September 13, 2011
How late are you doing this? If you're shivering at 3am, are you getting home after midnight? I tend to get cold when I am up into the wee hours of the morning--your body temperature tends to drop overnight. Combined with the cold of the hockey rink it could make your core temperature even lower, which might lead to shivering once you calm down and get into bed.
Either way, I think warm bath/hot tea/nice snack is the way to go. Get some nice mint or camomile so it doesn't wake you up.
posted by that girl at 2:04 PM on September 13, 2011
Either way, I think warm bath/hot tea/nice snack is the way to go. Get some nice mint or camomile so it doesn't wake you up.
posted by that girl at 2:04 PM on September 13, 2011
Wear a night cap. You look ridiculous and you stay warm, as you lose a large amount of heat through your head (the cogitator be needin' the coolin's!). You can also wear socks to bed, as your feet bleed heat pretty badly too.
posted by Slackermagee at 2:09 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by Slackermagee at 2:09 PM on September 13, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to start trying them out after the game tonight, especially the ones about changing my shirt, etc. I never even really thought about doing that, since I always eventually ended up dry in the end, but I guess I probably am using a lot of body heat just to do that.
that girl, the time varies: right now I'm getting home anywhere between 10pm and midnight but soon the games shift later and we won't even be off the ice until nearly midnight, so I'd be getting home anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours after that.
I haven't tried taking hot showers or anything like that, though I do often have a snack afterwards (because I don't like to eat too much before we play and I'm HUNGRY). The suggestions are definitely pretty easy to start trying out. I normally run really really warm so the idea that I'm this cold, so deep down, is pretty foreign to me.
I'll let you know how it goes tonight!
posted by marylynn at 2:36 PM on September 13, 2011
that girl, the time varies: right now I'm getting home anywhere between 10pm and midnight but soon the games shift later and we won't even be off the ice until nearly midnight, so I'd be getting home anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours after that.
I haven't tried taking hot showers or anything like that, though I do often have a snack afterwards (because I don't like to eat too much before we play and I'm HUNGRY). The suggestions are definitely pretty easy to start trying out. I normally run really really warm so the idea that I'm this cold, so deep down, is pretty foreign to me.
I'll let you know how it goes tonight!
posted by marylynn at 2:36 PM on September 13, 2011
This happens to me ALL THE TIME after exercising in the cold! I call it "metabolic shutdown" and it seriously sucks. For me it kicks in an hour or two after stopping exercise, which always seems like weird timing. Recently it happened to me in the middle of the summer after a long run, for fuck's sake. I was outside in 90+ degree weather wearing a sweatshirt and shivering. Super weird, BUT: I noticed that on that day I was pretty dehydrated. Now my new theory is that dehydration may contribute to getting metabolic shutdown, by messing with my ability to regulate my temperature. I have no idea whether this idea is scientifically valid, but I've been experimenting with drinking a lot more when I exercise. I see that you mentioned that your metabolic shutdown is not as bad when you go to the bar after the game---which I am going to interpret as support for my theory! Perhaps you are improving your hydration by hitting the bar. So maybe try getting a lot more liquid on game days?
posted by medusa at 3:31 PM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by medusa at 3:31 PM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
Adding another voice to the chorus of "it's because your blood sugar is low!" I get this too and it's usually after exercise/adrenaline so I don't notice I'm hungry. All I know is I can't get warm no matter how hot the bathwater is. A cup of strong, sweet tea fixes it for me if it's too soon after exertion for me to eat comfortably, or, if possible, a nice snack or meal. Once I start eating, THEN I realize I was hungry.
posted by WidgetAlley at 5:26 PM on September 13, 2011
posted by WidgetAlley at 5:26 PM on September 13, 2011
Last winter (Canadian here), I took parent-and-child swimming lessons at a pool that had inexplicably teeth-chattering water in the pool, and no hot-hot showers -- and no matter what I did with clothing and warmth in the car, I was never warm until I got home and into a blistering hot bath with some soup to eat in the tub. And the pleasure of the soak -- I would have a soup I really liked, bubble bath, magazines all ready to go -- totally undid the misery of having been that cold.
posted by kmennie at 8:37 AM on September 14, 2011
posted by kmennie at 8:37 AM on September 14, 2011
Response by poster: Last night was a lot better, but I still had some minor shivers. I changed my t-shirt and socks into dry socks and a sweatshirt right after the game, then had some extra water (I don't usually have an alcoholic drink at the post-game "discussion" anyway, so it was easy to forego that), and then a sandwich when I got home. The temp outside is starting to drop but it was still pretty warm but I wore the jacket too. I slept in the sweatpants and sweatshirt but did take off the socks (and jacket!) and didn't feel so cold. I think not taking off clothes I've already warmed up to put on cold pajamas will also help.
It's probably a combination of all of the above. I'm trying to avoid things like having a shower or bath because my ultimate goal is to be able to be in bed, asleep, within about 15 minutes after getting home. And I hate sleeping with wet hair (though it's damp from sweat anyway since I sweat a lot through my head). I would be okay sleeping in a hat but haven't tried it.
The blood sugar suggestions make a lot of sense in that I have the same thing happen except... it happens backwards. When I've gone too hungry and my blood sugar dips it just makes me cranky/murderous. But after I eat, when I think all of the insulin is rushing in, I get sooooo sleepy and then the shivers hit. So I'm not sure if it's the same coin/different sides or what.
I'm also just glad to hear (sorry) that other people also have this happen.
posted by marylynn at 8:49 PM on September 14, 2011
It's probably a combination of all of the above. I'm trying to avoid things like having a shower or bath because my ultimate goal is to be able to be in bed, asleep, within about 15 minutes after getting home. And I hate sleeping with wet hair (though it's damp from sweat anyway since I sweat a lot through my head). I would be okay sleeping in a hat but haven't tried it.
The blood sugar suggestions make a lot of sense in that I have the same thing happen except... it happens backwards. When I've gone too hungry and my blood sugar dips it just makes me cranky/murderous. But after I eat, when I think all of the insulin is rushing in, I get sooooo sleepy and then the shivers hit. So I'm not sure if it's the same coin/different sides or what.
I'm also just glad to hear (sorry) that other people also have this happen.
posted by marylynn at 8:49 PM on September 14, 2011
Get a shower cap! Seriously, having a warm shower for 5 minutes will help SO much. Come home, start the hot shower, strip off clothes, get PJs ready, put on cap, jump in the shower for 5 minutes. You can even brush your teeth in there! Dry off - PJs - jump in bed, done! Try it!
posted by barnone at 11:05 AM on September 15, 2011
posted by barnone at 11:05 AM on September 15, 2011
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posted by valeries at 10:49 AM on September 13, 2011