Everyone is prone to the occasional chilly toes. When the temperature around us drops the body reacts by constricting the blood vessels in our extremities. This ensures you have as much warm blood near your vital organs as possible. Unfortunately, this can lead to cold feet and numb toes.
There are so many great options to make sure your feet stay warm during the upcoming cold temperatures. Using a thicker pair of socks, placing a hot water bottle near the end of your bed, or even utilizing the TUCKER’D TOEBEE can help keep your feet warm! If you’ve tried some of the solutions above and find your cold feet are persistent there may be an underlying health condition to blame.
Poor Circulation
Poor circulation is to blame for some people’s persistent cold feet. Poor blood circulation makes it difficult for your feet to get enough blood pumped to them because they are far from your heart. This condition can be linked to a sedentary lifestyle or even smoking but there are more serious medical conditions that can cause poor circulation so it’s crucial to get blood flow issues investigated.
Anemia
A person who is anemic doesn’t have enough red blood cells to supply enough oxygen and warmth to the body. Which means your feet, toes, and hands may feel persistently cold. The most common form of anemia is being iron-deficient, a person's body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells for a person to be healthy. Taking iron tablets and eating more leafy greens can help the problem.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a thyroid disease that occurs when a person's thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones. This results in a person’s body struggling to turn food into energy making it more difficult for blood to pump efficiently or maintain a normal temperature. This causes your toes and fingers to be especially sensitive to the cold. Hypothyroidism can be treated with hormone supplements but getting a blood test from the doctor is the first step in determining if a person has this disease.
Diabetes
Diabetes causes a person’s blood sugar to be high which can cause nerve damage, especially in a person’s feet. This may make a person think they have cold feet when they’re actually warm. Not only does diabetes affect a person’s nervous system it may also be the cause of poor circulation. Looking for other symptoms of high blood sugar is important to see if a diabetic test is needed.
Raynaud’s Disease
This disease causes color changes in a person’s extremities in response to cold or stress. It’s important to be aware of other symptoms like toes turning white, blue, or red, pins and needles sensation, numbness, or discomfort. If there is consistent pain in the fingers and toes is best to speak with a doctor to see if the condition is harmless or the cause of an underlying problem.
Treatments
There are several options to help solve persistent cold feet. Usually having cold feet is not a serious issue. Keeping your home at a warm temperature, wearing thick socks, and using a TUCKER’D TOEBEE can help solve most cold feet issues. If a person’s cold feet seem to never leave or cause extreme pain it’s best to seek professional help to see if there is a severe medical condition that needs to be addressed.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/
https://www.feetbypody.com/blog/five-major-causes-of-persistently-cold-feet/