Ice cubes thanks to hormones and fat distribution
As soon as the temperature drops below twenty degrees Celsius, many women immediately resort to woolen socks and cozy slippers. Men are less likely to suffer from cold feet. A different fat distribution and hormone level ensure this difference. But there are other theories.
Mike Tipton of the University of Portsmouth studies cold conditions and how people deal with them. According to him, humans are originally tropical animals that were not built for winter temperatures.
Our ancestors lived in warm regions around the equator. When they moved to cooler regions, they had to keep warm by using fire, clothing and building shelters. Fortunately, central heating has now also been added, but the cold hands and feet have remained with many women. There are several theories about the cause of cold woman feet.
fat distribution
Women naturally have more fat and less muscle mass than men. Muscle mass produces heat, which means that men are less likely to get cold.
In women, the fat is also better distributed over the body. That seems nice and warm, such a layer of bacon everywhere. In practice, it makes women better able to transport blood to important organs. This is a handy survival mechanism: if it is extremely cold, the most important organs will at least receive sufficient heat. The downside is that less blood reaches the ends of the body, leaving the hands and feet feeling cold.
Hormones
Another cause of ice nuggets is female sex hormones called estrogens. These hormones play an important role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, but are also found in the body of men in much lower concentrations. Estrogens affect body temperature, causing it to fluctuate throughout the cycle. During menstruation, the core temperature of women is on average one degree lower.
Hormones also cause the blood vessels in the hands and feet to temporarily constrict, so that you barely get them warm.
Cold feet in bed
Your body temperature is not constant, it fluctuates by about one degree Celsius during the day. When it gets dark, your body makes the hormone melatonin at. Thanks to this fabric, your body temperature goes down, so that your body knows that it needs to rest. Body temperature drops at night in both men and women. In women, this process is much faster, so that they reach their minimum temperature sooner.
In addition, women are more sensitive to temperature differences. Women already notice a temperature difference at 0.2 degrees Celsius, while men only react at 0.4 degrees. This may explain why women are more likely to lie in bed with cold feet than men.
Diseases
If you’ve always been a cold-blooded person, there’s probably nothing to worry about. Try to exercise a lot to stimulate blood flow and keep your feet nice and warm in winter with thick wool socks. A foot massage also works wonders.
If you not only have cold feet, but they also discolor or are painful, you may suffer from chilblains or the Raynaud’s disease.
