What Causes Cold Feet? Causes and Symptoms

Many people encounter the problem of cold feet at least at some point in their lives. Sudden changes in air temperatures, preferred nutritional routine and lifestyle choices are some of the most common causes of cold feet. Eliminating these factors often helps relieve symptoms. Although such conditions are temporary and harmless, in some cases more serious health problems can cause cold feet or, in other words, cold feet.

What Causes Cold Feet?

Although the causes of cold feet are in a wide range, it is useful to keep the causes of cold feet in mind in order to detect some metabolic and circulatory disorders early. The question “Why do feet get cold?” may have many different answers. There are various reasons for cold feet, from falling temperatures in winter to circulatory and nervous disorders. Some of the common causes of cold feet can be listed as follows:

Falling Air Temperatures

Cold feet are one of the body’s normal reactions to colder temperatures. When the body is exposed to a colder temperature, blood vessels in the distal extremities, such as the hands and feet, constrict. Thus, blood flow to these areas decreases, which causes the feet to become cold and chilly. Extremities are the parts furthest from vital organs. Therefore, reducing the amount of blood flowing to the extremities helps maintain heat and blood flow in more important body areas. Decreasing blood flow over time can also reduce the amount of oxygen in the tissues. As a result, it can also cause tissues to take on a bluish color.

This condition is usually temporary and the tissue color returns to normal as the body warms.

High Stress and Anxiety States

Being in a state of high stress or anxiety can also cause cold feet. One of the body’s natural responses to stress is to increase the release of the adrenaline hormone. Adrenaline causes blood vessels in the body to constrict, reducing blood flow to the extremities. For this reason, cold feet may occur. This is an adaptation mechanism to preserve the blood flow to the more important organs of the body by reducing the blood flow to the extremities, similar to the decrease in air temperatures.

Poor Blood Circulation in the Foot Area

Circulation problems in the feet are one of the most common causes of constant cold feet. Poor circulation can prevent body temperature blood from regularly reaching your feet, causing your feet to be colder than the rest of the body. Circulation problems can have various causes. These types of circulation problems can also occur as a result of heart disease, in which the heart has trouble pumping blood around the body quickly enough. Poor circulation may also be the result of adopting a sedentary lifestyle in daily life or working in a profession that requires sitting at a desk.

Smoking and tobacco use are also one of the most common causes of circulatory disorders. The use of these substances can cause damage to the artery walls over time, making it difficult for blood to reach distant parts of the body. For this reason, complaints of cold feet and cold feet may occur.

Anemia

Anemia  can be defined as an insufficient number of red blood cells in the bloodstream due to various reasons. Causes of anemia; It may be due to many factors, such as deficiency of vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin B12 or folate, or chronic kidney disease. Especially in cases of severe anemia, very cold feet is one of the most basic symptoms. Iron deficiency anemia, one of the most common causes of anemia in society; It can be seen after a while, even in healthy people, due to intense workload or malnutrition. This condition can be easily treated with lifestyle changes and some vitamin and mineral supplements used under the supervision of a doctor.

Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Blood sugar levels that remain high for a long time can cause arteries to narrow and reduce blood flow to tissues, resulting in persistent cold feet. Diabetes can cause not only cold feet, but also numbness and tingling in the feet due to nerve damage in the body. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that occurs in people who have high and uncontrolled blood sugar levels for long periods of time. The tingling sensation may be more severe at night and may lead to increased cold feet at night.

Diabetes can also cause wounds on the feet that are difficult to heal because it disrupts peripheral blood circulation.

hypothyroidism

Cold feet due to hypothyroidism occurs because the thyroid gland is not active enough and cannot produce enough thyroid hormone in the body. Thyroid hormone is a hormone that greatly affects the metabolism of the human body. Almost anything that can cause low thyroid gland activity and hypothyroidism can cause decreased circulation to the feet and cold feet.

Pregnancy period

Cold feet may occur normally during pregnancy. There may be several different reasons for this situation. Changes in hormone levels during pregnancy can affect the autonomic nervous system, which can reduce blood flow to the lower extremities. Additionally, in case of pregnancy, the metabolic rate increases. As a result, slight increases in body temperature may cause a feeling of coldness, especially in the lower extremities. Anemia is generally not expected to occur during pregnancy, and if it occurs, the person must be evaluated by a doctor. Changes in hormone levels may occur during pregnancy. This may cause the thyroid gland to be underactive, thus causing hypothyroidism. All these factors can cause cold feet.

Other rare causes of persistent cold feet include:

• Peripheral vascular diseases, (narrowing problem due to plaques formed in the arteries),
• Raynaud’s phenomenon (Spasms occurring in blood vessels; may be physiological or one of the symptoms of an underlying rheumatological disease.),
• Atherosclerosis (formation of fatty plaques on the artery walls), a number of diseases that cause nerve damage in the body.

What are the symptoms of cold feet?

Cold feet or cold feet problems that have existed for a long time and are persistent may require help from a specialist doctor. If you have one or more of the following health problems accompanying cold feet, it is recommended that you consult your doctor:

• Wounds on feet and toes that do not heal for a long time,
• Feeling of weakness and exhaustion,
• Sudden changes in body weight,
• existence of fire,
• joint pains,
• Skin thickening or redness starting to appear.

Also, if you feel like you are experiencing cold feet; However, if there is no problem with the foot temperature when you touch it, it would be beneficial to consult your specialist. This may be an indication that nerve damage is beginning in the feet.

After a general physical examination and blood pressure measurements of peripheral limbs by your doctor, a routine blood test may be required to investigate metabolic disorders such as anemia, diabetes or hypothyroidism. If possible heart disease or poor circulation is suspected, an electrocardiogram or echocardiography may be performed, which can help evaluate the functioning of the heart. If peripheral artery disease is suspected, imaging techniques such as Doppler ultrasonography may also be used to evaluate blood flow in the arteries.

What is Good for Cold Feet?

Treatment of cold feet is based on first detecting the underlying disease and initiating treatments for the detected disease. Exercise may be recommended to improve peripheral blood circulation. Exercise may also help treat or prevent the development of other conditions, including heart and lung conditions.

Some causes of cold feet, such as hypothyroidism and anemia, can be treated with some medical medications that your doctor may recommend. For conditions such as Raynaud’s disease or certain heart conditions, certain medications may be added to treatment to help open blood vessels.

It may be common for many people to experience cold feet at some point in their lives. However, if you think that cold feet may be a symptom of a more serious disease, it would be beneficial to consult your doctor.