Report: Wife Scratched Tiger Woods' Face, Chased His SUV; Update: Police Unable To Interview Couple Today
Senate Report: Bush Missed Chance To Catch Bin Laden
Two Doors Fall Off AirTrain At JFK
Dogs Rescued From Puppy Mills And Shelters Arrive In L.I.
State Dinner Party Crashers Want Money For Interview
My extremeties, hands in particular, are always cold even when indoors. I'm always self-conscious when shaking hands because of this. What can I do to remedy this?
Ask Gothamist suffers from persistent cold hands too. Our mom, whose hands are also always freezing, likes to say, "Cold hands, warm heart." Aside from muttering that expression to everyone who shakes your hand, you can try these tips to warm up your digits:
- Avoid items that constrict your blood vessels or impair circulation, such as excessive caffeine, smoking, or tight clothing.
- Obviously, try to dress warmly. Layers are key. Natural fibers such as wool are best for retaining heat. We often wear fingerless gloves indoors but we do get strange looks in the office sometimes.
- Three words: Constant hot beverages.
- Make sure you're getting enough iron in your diet. Some people also say ginger and cayenne supplements help to increase circulation.
- Exercise: Regular exercise can help improve circulation. When your hands are cold, try rotating your shoulders, arms, and wrists to get the blood flowing and clenching and unclenching your fists.
- Try rubbing/massaging your hands to improve circulation in the area.
Check out Warmer Hands Naturally! Ten Easy Free Tips for more info.
Need advice? E-mail ask(at)gothamist(dot)com.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
See a doctor. This might just be a nuisance or the way you're wired but first you need to check to make sure it's not a symptom of something serious like hypothyroidism. Other symptoms of hypothyroidism are dry skin, frequent headaches, fatigue, physical and mental sluggishness, weight gain, and hair loss. If you've had any of those symptoms along with your cold hands and feet, make an appointment for a checkup very soon. Hypothyroidism is easily treated with hormone supplements.
If nothing physically is wrong then don't sweat the cold/cool hands. I think clammy, hot ones are way worse. I kinda like the feel of a crisp, cool handshake.
I have very cold hands/feet also. I've been told it's something called "Raynaud's Phenomena" by a rheumatologist. Watch out if the hands turn differnt colors (white-blue-red) or if you develop small sores on your fingers. Raynaud's isn't terribly harmful in of itself, but it's indicative of some underlying problem (many auto-immune disorders).
I've had Raynaud's since my early teens. It's Raynaud's Disease if you have it by itself, or Raynaud's Phenomena if it's a secondary symptom of something else. I went through 8 weeks of biofeedback therapy years ago, and it improved my episodes dranatically. Basically, you learn the ability to warm your hands & feet mentally. Good luck.
I've had Raynaud's since my early teens. It's Raynaud's Disease if you have it by itself, or Raynaud's Phenomena if it's a secondary symptom of something else. I went through 8 weeks of biofeedback therapy years ago, and it improved my episodes dramatically. Basically, you learn the ability to warm your hands & feet mentally. Good luck.
thanks, this is really helpful. my girlfriend's fingers turn white with the slightest chill and we've been trying all sorts of things. we actually though that coffee would help since it makes the blood flow faster but maybe we were off on that.
i have to agree cool hands are kinda nice. i wouldn't be self-conscious about it.