I am trying to figure out what type of medical condition has as a symptom the feeling of being cold all of the time. I know it is winter, but even during the day when it was 62 degrees, my hubby was freezing. His hands are like ice. His blood pressure is OK, he has no fever - no other problems, just 'cold!' He finally gets better when he is under the electric blanket on flannel sheets. Does anyone have any ideas - at all. I'm really at my wits end. He will not ask a doctor - he thinks it would be silly to bother them with "I'm cold."

Can yall help me?

phy.

He needs some tests. The most obvious disorder is anemia, because lots of people have it from eating a poor diet - McFood, for example.

But the most obvious cause - not a disorder - is not wearing enough clothes. Some people are very vain, and will not wear winter underwear, because it ruins their skinny profile. But layers are good. So you could buy him a 'cool' vest, western-style, if that is his preferred fashion, I got my husband a sheepskin-lined tartan vest and it looks really cool and keeps him toasty. And a felt Stetson (not a leather one). Thick warm socks are always a good idea in winter.

If he won't get tests, it might not hurt for him to take iron pills for a month, over-the-counter is fine, and a vitamin C too, to aid absorption of the iron.

He should notice feeling more energetic after a month, and he should also feel warmer at normal indoor and outdoor temperatures, if the problem is anemia.

The second obvious cause is inactivity. If he has been sitting on the couch all evening, watching TV, and then goes outside to take the garbage out, he may well find the cold air a shock, and hurry indoors, complaining of chill.

So he could go for a brisk walk three or four times a day, which will cause all kinds of good things to happen with his 'fine tuning system'. If he goes to work by car, make a bet with him that if he takes a bus for a month, and doesn't feel better, you will push a peanut down your front walk with your nose in broad daylight. No husband can resist that challenge.

But if neither simple anemia nor insufficient exercise is the problem, and he won't have an exam, then the real cause - if there is one - cannot be discovered.

So in that case, ask him to sign a 'living will'. That is a document that allows next-of-kin to tell medics to 'pull the plug' if someone is past help, and in a vegetative state. Tell him that in case he has a disease which cannot be cured unless caught in time, such as some leukemias, you don't want the terrible responsibilty of making the decision for him. So you want to know his wishes.

Sometimes the brain can be shocked into activity.

Might be a sluggish thyroid.

If he's tall & thin, his body loses heat more easily than a fat guy.

If he's a smoker, diabetic, or has longstanding cardiovascular disease, it could be circulatory problems.

If it's 62 degrees outside and your dwelling is not much warmer inside, it could be that he feels cold because it IS cold!

Cold intolerance #1: MedlinePlus (NIH)
Cold intolerance #2: HealthCentral (Dr. Dean Edell)

I see by your profile that you are retired. I am assuming that means your husband is around 60 or so. While anemia certainly could be the cause, the first thing I'd look at is, as the Prof says, circulatory problems.

Another factor could be baldness. If he is balding, and it has gotten worse in the last year or so, he's losing a lot of body heat through his head. I just had my hair cut for the first time in about 4 years. My neck is always cold now, even inside the house. I've also lost more hair in the last year than in any other year. For the first time in my life, I have taken to wearing a hat in winter.

I want my hair back, dammit!

Having read the other post (which is to be attached to this one) I think that your problem may very well be indoor temperature.

Two things affect indoor comfort - heat (temperature) and humidity. If you have 70 F at 100% humidity it will feel colder than 70 F at 50% humidity.


My Father law has a bad heart, very poor circulation, used to be the thermostat was set at 80F yo 85F and he was freezing. Of course the heater dries out the indoor air leading to lower humidity. He now has humidifiers and has set the thermostat to 76 and is "comfortable" - still a tad cold - but not freezing cold.

A way to see if this is the problem is to run a hot shower (pure hot, nobody in the shower of course just to put steam in the room) for a couple of minutes with the bathroom door shut, turn off the shower and let your husband stand/sit in the bathroom (with the door and vent fan off(if possible) for a few minutes and see if he feels warmer.

Don't overlook the Collagen Diseases and Reynaud's Phenomena.
Hypothyroid people are usually overweight, and have a low metabolic rate.
I don't know why, but when I go on a diet and loose weight, I suffer with the cold more. Feet always cold but I have excellent dorsalis pedis and posteriour tibial pulses. Don't smoke, but must have some periodic peripheral vasospasm that is not really a Reynaud's. Exercise does imporve peripheral warmth. Sedentary life style in a thin individual might produce peripheral coolness.