Why do my hands and feet freeze?

Why-freeze-hands-and-feet Most people periodically encounter a situation where hands and feet freeze.Usually it happens in the cold season, especially if the person is not dressed for the season.But many people complain of literally icy limbs, being in a room with normal room temperature or even on the beach in the heat.

Coldness of hands and feet indicates a violation of the local circulation, i.e., a delay in the movement of blood .The problem can be associated with pathological changes in peripheral and central vessels( sclerosis or varicose veins).Another reason is often a transient spasm.The narrowing of small arterioles and capillaries is often due to disorders of the nervous system( including stresses).

Coldness of the upper and lower extremities is very characteristic for hypotensive people - people with low blood pressure.

Note: in persons with asthenic, lean physique, the indices of blood pressure are often below some average "norm".They often complain that they freeze in warm weather.

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Hands and feet are freezing: causes of the problem What should I do if my hands and feet freeze?

Hands and feet are frozen: the causes of the problem

Important: freezing hands and feet is not always a sign of a pathology.Perhaps, it is a matter of general hypothermia for a long stay on the street at a low temperature.Warm shoes and quality gloves will solve this problem.

Possible causes that limbs often freeze:

abnormalities of the structure of blood vessels;
varicose disease;
atherosclerotic changes;
obliterating endoarteritis;
hypotension( low blood pressure);
vegetative-vascular dystonia( VSD);
heart problems;
pathology of the thyroid gland;
diabetes mellitus;
Raynaud's disease;
anemia( anemia);
inactivity( sedentary lifestyle);
smoking;
fatigue;
stress.

In some diseases of endocrine glands( diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism), the process of impulse conduction on sensitive and vegetative fibers is disrupted.Be sure to pass a blood test to the level of sugar, when in the hands and feet there is numbness, burning, itching or sweating is noted for no apparent reason.

If you notice the fragility of nails and hair, pain in the legs, a decrease in skin sensitivity or a heart failure, in parallel with a cold sensation in the hands and feet, we strongly recommend that you do not delay the visit to the doctor .Only a comprehensive comprehensive survey will help to identify the true cause of the violations.

Nicotine and other compounds present in tobacco cause vasospasm.People with nicotine dependence develop pathological changes in the vascular walls over time.

An indication of varicose veins of the lower extremities are swelling of the feet, local pains in the projection of the joints and so on."Vascular asterisks".

VSD and heart disease show rapid fatigue amid minor physical exertion and shortness of breath .The skin of the feet acquires a pale shade with a peculiar "marble" pattern.

Vegeto-vascular dystonia may be a direct consequence of hypodynamia in childhood and adolescence, low stress tolerance, or transmitted infections.With VSD, a significant amount of epinephrine is periodically released into the blood, provoking hypertonia and spasms of the smooth muscles of the vascular walls.

The Reynaud Syndrome, which is particularly characteristic of patients suffering from cold allergies, has symptoms such as painful spasms in the hands and feet of the .It is considered as a separate disease or as a manifestation of pathologies of the spine, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.

Important: is that fingers, palms and feet freeze in the first place, can be considered a normal phenomenon, due to the anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the human body.In these areas of the body there is relatively little richly vascularized muscle tissue, but many tendons.The area of the skin that actively transfers heat to the external environment is relatively large, and the fiber layer, which is able to prevent it, is very small.

What should I do if my hands and feet freeze?

Certain adjustments must be made in the diet.Recommended fractional food - small portions of 5-7 times a day.

Useful and harmful products

It is advisable to include more products with a high iron content in the menu.This, in particular, helps prevent anemia.

Please note: Iron is an integral part of hemoglobin, responsible for the transport of oxygen in the body.

Products in which there is a lot of iron:

green leafy vegetables;
raisins;
prunes;
lean meat( preferably - poultry meat);
fish of any sort;
egg yolk;
lentils.

The orange juice( especially freshly squeezed) contributes to the maximum absorption of this macro-nut.

Vitamin E promotes the expansion of arterioles and capillaries, and ascorbic acid( vitamin C) strengthens the walls of the main and peripheral vessels.

Products for strengthening the walls of capillaries:

nuts( hazel, walnut, almonds);
sunflower seeds or pumpkin( unroasted);
sprouted wheat grains;
buckwheat groats;
beans;
whole wheat bread.

It is recommended to reduce or completely eliminate the consumption of strong coffee and tea - caffeine and tannins provoke vasospasm.

You should forget about alcohol once and for all. Do not try to keep warm in the cold with alcohol.It gives only a subjective feeling of warmth.Due to the widening of the peripheral blood vessels, blood does not really stick to the face and limbs for a short while, but the organism as a whole is only further supercooled.

General recommendations

Important: for heavy smokers, the only way to avoid problems with blood circulation is to completely abandon a bad habit.

Blood supply to the hands and feet significantly improves with regular exercise.Jumping, running and swimming can prevent the stagnation of blood.This is especially important for people engaged in sedentary work of .It is noted that they often freeze their feet even in a warm room.During the working day it is advisable to get up every 20-30 minutes, stretch and perform rotations and swings with your hands and feet for 2-3 minutes.Thanks to gymnastics will improve not only physical, but also mental working capacity, since the blood flow in the brain will also increase.

If the fingers periodically freeze, it is necessary to take measures on to kindly harden the vessels .When in a room with a comfortable temperature( usually from + 19 ° C to + 22 ° C), prepare a warm bath for hands, and lower the brush into the container for 3-4 minutes.Then you need to go to a room with a lower temperature, which will provoke a cold spasm of the peripheral vessels.There again, you need to put your fingers in warm water, forcing the capillaries to expand.Regular performance of such gymnastics for blood vessels( at least - three times a day for a month) will help them to resist vasospasm.After each procedure, you must actively move your hands to intensively disperse blood through the extremities.

In the summer in nature try to swim more often in open water( well, if the water is slightly cool), and walk on grass and ground barefoot, massaging, thus, biologically active points on the soles.

If there are no common contraindications related to chronic diseases, try to visit the Russian bath or sauna weekly.

Feet is useful to soar overnight in hot water.If you can not cope with the cooling of the feet, attach a warm water bottle to your feet before going to bed.

For local and general hardening, contrasting douches are useful.They can be done in the shower, alternating the supply of hot and cold water.The duration of such hardening procedures should be gradually increased.

For the normalization of the condition of the vessels is very useful massage .Try to stretch your hands more often, fingers of feet and shins( to the knee joint), I use essential oils of ginger or cinnamon for grinding.

Traditional medicine tips

hands-legs Drink infusions of blueberries, strawberries, mulberry and elderberry, brewing 1 tbsp.L.Berries with a glass of boiling water.

An effective folk remedy for improving the tone of blood vessels is alcohol or vodka tincture with the horse chestnut flower .For 1 part of the plant raw material, take 2 parts of the ethanol solution and insist 1 week in a dark place.Take the drug for 30-40 drops 2-3 times daily before meals.

Warm baths with the addition of decoction of spruce or pine needles are very useful.

Take as a rule 4-5 times a day to dissolve 1 tsp of natural flower honey( if there is no allergy to bee products).A positive effect can be achieved after 1.5-2 months of such treatment.

Patients who suffer from chilliness of the limbs, folk medicine also recommends taking fortifying preparations based on extracts of ginseng and eleutherococcus. Before starting treatment, consult a doctor for contraindications.

Plisov Vladimir, medical reviewer