How to Stop Having Cold Feet in 5 Easy Steps!

By rjoachim | February 5, 2023

There are a lot of reasons why your feet could be cold, ranging from cold climates to a sign of a serious medical condition. The most common cause of cold feet is poor blood flow in your legs and feet. If you experience frequent cold feet, reach out to your healthcare provider for an examination.

Cold feet can affect anyone. You might experience cold feet if you live in an area with a cool climate. Cold feet are more common among people who have:

  • Autoimmune conditions.
  • Circulation problems.
  • Conditions that affect the hormones.Having cold feet can make you uncomfortable. While the rest of your body is warm, your feet aren’t. You might experience mild pain in your feet until your feet can warm up to the same temperature as the rest of your body. Cold feet can be temporary, but it’s important to visit your provider to make sure your cold feet aren’t a symptom of an underlying condition.
  • Conditions that affect the nervous system.
  • Symptoms could include:
  • Your feet are at a lower temperature than the rest of your body.
  • You have mild, throbbing pain in your feet and toes.
  • Your feet take longer to warm up if you’re exposed to cold temperatures.
  • Your feet are a different color (pale, red, blue or purple) than the rest of your body.
  • You experience cold feet during specific hours of the day, like at night.There are several causes of cold feet. If you live in a cold climate, you could experience cold feet frequently. In addition, some of the most common causes of cold feet are poor blood flow, a symptom of an underlying condition or a side effect of a medicine.
  • Cold feet could be a sign of an underlying condition. Several conditions that affect blood flow include:
  • Autoimmune conditions (anemia).
  • Heart disease.
  • Hormonal changes (hypothyroidism).
  • Narrow artery blockages or constricted blood vessels.
  • Nerve conditions (fibromyalgia).
  • Peripheral artery disease.
  • Raynaud’s phenomenon.
  • Some medicines could cause cold feet as a side effect based on how the medicine interacts with your blood flow. Medicines that could cause cold feet include:
  • Beta-blockers for high blood pressure.
  • Ergotamine for headaches.
  • Pseudoephedrine in cold medicineSince symptoms of cold feet can relate to other conditions or medications you currently take, your provider will begin your diagnosis by gathering information about your medical history. A physical exam will follow, where your provider will look for nerve damage or any injuries that could cause cold feet. Your provider will offer tests to rule out any conditions that might cause cold feet as a symptom, like a blood test to detect anemia or hypothyroidism or imaging tests to rule out heart disease.
  • Your provider might use an ankle-brachial index (ABI) test to measure blood flow in your legs, using an inflatable blood pressure cuff. An ABI helps diagnose peripheral artery disease, which causes cold feet as a symptom.
  • Even if you have cold feet that happen every once in a while, it’s important to talk with your healthcare provider to make sure your symptoms are temporary and not a sign of an underlying condition.
    • https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23045-cold-feet
Posted in Health & Wellness