Our bodies are designed to regulate our temperature. When it’s cold outside, your body makes sure to keep the blood flowing to your core and vital organs to keep them warm. This can change the amount of blood flow to your hands and feet, making them feel cold. This is normal. The blood vessels in your hands and feet constrict (spasm) when it’s cold, to prevent heat loss from your core.
Some people tend to have colder feet and hands naturally, without an underlying disease. It’s a fairly common condition. When your hands and feet naturally tend to get cold, you may just need to take extra precautions in cold weather to protect them.
But if your cold feet and hands are constantly bothersome, or if you notice additional symptoms, such as color changes in your fingers, there are more things you can do.
Here’s what to know about cold feet and hands, and what you can do about it.
Some people work, live, or play in very cold environments. Meat packers or others who spend time in freezers, military personnel, mountain climbers, hunters, utility linemen, and rescue workers are some of the people who need special protective clothing to keep them as warm as possible.
Being in a very cold environment carries the danger of frostbite and permanent damage to hands and feet. In addition, there’s a danger that the ability to work emergency equipment will be impaired by extreme cold.
Ongoing research is looking at whether working in a constantly cold environment helps you to become more accustomed to it and to avoid injury. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), some people can develop a tolerance for cold. Fishermen, for example, can work with their bare hands in extremely cold weather.
The CCOHS notes that women are at more risk of cold injury because their hands and feet cool faster.
