What to do if your feet are frozen. What to do if you have frostbite? How to avoid catching a cold if you are very cold outside? When to see a doctor

Very often, a person whose feet are constantly cold is accustomed to this condition and considers it to be his peculiarity. When your feet are frozen from the cold or after getting wet, this is a natural reaction of the body. If your limbs are constantly cold, you need to study the root cause of this condition more carefully. And the reason is not only that it causes discomfort. The feet are a place where a large number of biologically active zones are located. As a result of constant freezing, this can negatively affect your overall health. If your feet are frozen, but there are no objective reasons, you should figure out what is the mechanism that triggers this condition.

Why feet get cold: possible causes in healthy people

The condition of constantly freezing feet creates inconvenience and causes concern for health. A similar condition can occur in absolutely healthy people for a number of reasons:

1. Insufficient intake of nutrients and vitamins into the body as a result of an unbalanced diet or strict dietary restrictions.
2. Staying in conditions that are uncomfortable for the body. If the temperature in the room is not normal enough, the person will freeze.
3. Consequences of hypothermia.
4. Low body weight – thin people do not have enough fat, and they experience a feeling of cold feet.
5. Sedentary lifestyle, insufficient physical activity.
6. Smokers suffer from cold feet due to vascular spasms, which are provoked by the use of tobacco products.
7. Frequent stress leads to a decrease in the lumens of blood vessels, blood circulates poorly, and the lower extremities suffer from insufficient blood filling.
8. Poor circulation as a result of mechanical compression of the legs, this may be uncomfortable shoes, uncomfortable posture. The lower extremities do not receive enough blood, become numb and cold.
9. Previous history of frostbite on the legs. The temperature that is quite comfortable will seem unpleasant and low for those with frostbite.
10. If you have a habit of always warming your feet, wear socks, even at high temperatures.

To prevent your feet from being overly sensitive to temperature changes, doctors advise hardening your feet. And pay special attention to hardening procedures for the legs.

Extremities can become cold due to the following factors: excess body weight, bad habits, irregular diet, pregnancy. For all of the above reasons, chilliness in the legs goes away after the root cause is eliminated, and the condition improves without special treatment.

About garlic peel infusion

Causes of cold feet in various diseases

While there are factors that lead to freezing feet, there are those that are the result of health problems. In this case, it is necessary to correct the condition and eliminate the disease. Very often the feet freeze with such health problems. Changes in blood pressure, increased or decreased readings.

With hypertension, vasospasm occurs, the lumen narrows, and the amount of incoming blood decreases, as a result the body temperature in the organ drops.

With hypotension, there may not be vasoconstriction, but the blood pressure is not enough for the necessary circulation:

1. Anemia or anemia may not be detected, but constant chills and freezing of the lower extremities may indicate this fact. If there is insufficient hemoglobin in the blood, oxygen is transported in insufficient quantities. All processes in the cells slow down and the feet freeze.
2. Diabetes mellitus - with this disease, the vessels are fragile, the lumens are partially closed by blood clots. Blood circulation suffers greatly, very little oxygen reaches the extremities. This situation may result in the development of “diabetic foot.”
3. Malfunctions of the nervous system, namely Raynaud's syndrome, can lead to vasospasm and a decrease in the temperature of the lower extremities. With this diagnosis, particular discomfort occurs when the feet come into contact with water.
4. Phlebitis, thrombophlebitis and endarteritis cause the lower extremities to become very cold.
5. Vegetovascular dystonia - the disease can affect the condition by reducing the intensity of blood flow in the legs. The vessels are not able to respond properly to temperature changes or changes in temperature conditions.

Symptoms of poor circulation

To understand whether blood flow is really the culprit of freezing feet, familiarize yourself with the main manifestations of the pathological condition:

• periodic swelling of the lower extremities;
• bulging veins, visually it seems that large vessels are overcrowded;
• rapid fatigue of the lower extremities even with minimal physical activity;
• leg muscle cramps at rest and in motion;
• periodic numbness of the lower extremities: feet, legs;
• sagging skin and bluish discoloration of the skin.

To understand why your feet get cold, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination.

Non-vascular problems - the problem of cold feet

There are other reasons for constantly freezing feet, among which are the following:

• age – it cannot be denied that blood flow worsens with age, this is due to hormonal changes, decreased muscle mass, impaired heat exchange, metabolism slows down, the body is not able to efficiently carry out thermoregulation;
• hypothyroidism – the disease itself negatively affects metabolic processes, heat exchange slows down, energy is released in minimal quantities, fatigue and constant chills are noted;
• anyone who has suffered from atopic dermatitis is almost guaranteed to develop cold feet syndrome in old age;
• the use of certain medications - some synthetic drugs lead to cold feet;
• acute allergies cause freezing of the feet - as a result of the expansion of small vessels, heat loss increases.

Features of the diet to speed up metabolism Hayley Pomeroy

There are also other reasons that lead to freezing of the feet, among them the following can be noted:

• candidiasis;
• heart problems;
• dehydration of the body;
• sepsis;
• helminths.

Also, neurological diseases can lead to the condition of “freezing feet”.

For peripheral nerve disease, herniated intervertebral discs, after strokes, for paresis or paralysis of the lower extremities.

Algorithm of actions to identify the cause of cold feet

In order to find out the cause of freezing feet, you need to visit three doctors: a therapist, a phlebologist and an endocrinologist.

There are many causes of the disease, and specialists will be able to find out what triggered the unpleasant symptoms:

• disorders of the thyroid gland;
• poor hemoglobin levels;
• heart diseases;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• many other reasons.

Examinations by specialists to find out the cause of cold feet: the result of a disease or physiological characteristics. Particular attention in case of freezing feet is given to examinations by a phlebologist. He finds out if there are any vascular pathologies. If the cause is identified, therapy for the disease begins; if there is no objective cause, the person begins to level out the condition using a set of measures described below.

Options for normalizing the condition

There are various methods of dealing with the problems of freezing feet. Doctors advise playing sports, taking a massage course, and using some alternative medicine. You can try to start by activating the rhythm of life. Very often this is enough to normalize the condition. It is not necessary to sign up for a gym and spend hours there; it is enough to exercise moderately in the fresh air for your pleasure:

• morning exercises;
• swimming;
• Biking;
• leisurely walks.

What are the consequences of low hemoglobin?

Contrast foot baths and contrast showers for the whole body improve blood circulation in the legs and normalize the functioning of blood vessels. Essential oils are used for baths. The result will appear in just a couple of weeks of regular procedures. After baths, it is recommended to rub your feet with a rough cloth. This action activates blood flow and helps maintain the tone of vessels of any size. A foot massage before bedtime using warming oils will show good results. According to reviews, the use of special massage insoles improves blood circulation.

Prevention of cold feet

If a disease is identified that causes cold feet, every effort must be made to eliminate the cause.

If no diseases have been identified, but your legs continue to cause concern, you need to reconsider some aspects of your behavior and lifestyle.

To eliminate pathological symptoms, it is necessary to comprehensively influence the pathology:

• strengthen blood vessels - this measure is both prevention and therapy at the same time;
• increase physical activity on the body - engage in feasible sports;
• hot baths – hot foot baths with sea salt are recommended before bedtime;
• systematically massage your legs from toes to knees;
• refuse or minimize the consumption of alcoholic beverages, coffee and strong tea;
• avoid conflicts and stress;
• eat spicy food;
• wear natural socks, preferably made of natural wool.

Particular attention should be paid to shoes. It is important that the shoes do not interfere with proper blood circulation, are spacious, and do not compress the foot. If your feet get cold in any shoes, you need to do the following:

• do not buy shoes that fit your feet like a glove;
• socks should be made only from natural material;
• do not sit in a position where your leg is crossed;
• try to give up cigarettes.

The entire set of measures listed can bring results for freezing limbs in a short time. As for winter shoes, it is recommended to buy boots made of genuine leather, insulated with high-quality natural fur; in addition, you can use a thermal insole. The problem of cold feet gives a person many unpleasant moments, so you need to direct all your efforts to eliminate the problem.

Greetings to all readers of my blog! Why do my feet get cold? Today I won’t talk about why this happens in winter. If your shoes are tight and wet, then this phenomenon is quite natural in the cold season. But there is another side to the issue. It is very unpleasant when such discomfort is constantly experienced, and not only in winter, but in the warm season and even in a warm room. Let's look at the reasons, perhaps later we will find a solution to this issue.

You've probably noticed that when it's cold, your extremities are the first to freeze. This is explained simply. The fact is that the palms and feet have a small number of muscle fibers that are capable of generating heat, and there is practically no fatty tissue on them that should retain this heat. The only source of heat is our blood.

Under the influence of low temperatures, blood vessels narrow and the amount of blood flowing to the limbs decreases. If this is a healthy person, then to warm them it is enough to warm your hands in warm water or massage them, blood circulation in the limbs will be restored and they will warm up.

If this method of warming the feet and hands does not help, this condition should not be ignored, as this may be the initial symptom of a serious pathology.

Feet are cold - reasons

The main reason for cold feet and freezing even in summer and in a warm room is poor circulation in the lower extremities (we won’t talk about the hands). This can occur with the following diseases:

• Unstable blood pressure - with high pressure, the blood vessels are spasmed and it is more difficult for blood to reach the smallest capillaries; with low blood pressure, the blood pressure weakens and there is simply not enough blood pressure to reach the small capillaries of the foot.
• Vegetative-vascular dystonia is characterized primarily by low blood pressure; the mechanism of blood supply at low pressure has just been explained.
• Varicose veins - muscle tone of blood vessels is reduced, the structure of the walls of blood vessels is changed.
• Hormonal disorders - often occur in older people if they have diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, or menopausal syndrome in women.
• Anemia - a reduced amount of hemoglobin does not provide a normal amount of oxygen - the source of vital energy.
• , which is often found in heavy smokers, whose blood vessels spasm under the influence of nicotine.
• Stroke – the passage of nerve impulses is disrupted, resulting in paresis and paralysis, loss of sensitivity is observed.
• History of frostbite.
• Violation of water balance, when with insufficient water intake into the body, the blood becomes thick and the blood vessels spasm as a protective reaction of the body.
• Advanced stage of osteochondrosis.

What to do if your feet and hands are cold

If the list of reasons includes your pathology, then the feeling of cold feet is one of the symptoms of the disease; only qualified medical help will help you here. But if your feet remain constantly cold and all your efforts to warm them remain ineffective, this is another reason to immediately seek help from a doctor.

Simple folk remedies that can be done at home will help you get rid of the feeling of cold feet. What can be done?

1. Walk barefoot more often, if possible, on small stones, in the summer - and at home - on a massage mat.
2. Sit less and move more: by bike in summer, in winter by skiing or skating.
3. A contrast shower will help improve blood circulation throughout the body and strengthen blood vessels, including those in the legs. If it is not possible to do a contrast shower, then at least do contrast foot baths. I have already written how to do it correctly.
4. Every morning, massage your feet with your hands, rubbing your feet first and then each toe. For massage you can use special massagers. And in the evening before going to bed, take pine foot baths or with sea salt.

And some more useful tips.

• Never sit with your legs crossed – it is this position that causes poor circulation in the lower extremities for 10-15 minutes.
• Get rid of bad habits, especially smoking, drink less strong coffee and tea. Spicy seasonings are not prohibited.
• Do not wear tight and narrow shoes in the cold season, wear dry and warm socks.
• Strengthen your immune system: in addition to strengthening it, when you eat foods rich in vitamin C (rose hips, currants, citrus fruits, cranberries, etc.), the walls of blood vessels will also be strengthened, and ginger and red hot pepper will help “disperse” the blood.
• Don't forget about water, drink at least 2 liters a day. Remember that with a lack of water, the blood becomes thick and the blood vessels spasm.

What to do if the feet of older people are cold?

Older people's feet often get cold. This occurs as a result of a slowdown in their physiological processes, metabolic and circulatory disorders. With age, their muscle mass decreases and the subcutaneous fat layer decreases.

Impaired heat exchange in their lower extremities occurs quite often; even in a warm home, their feet get cold, thereby worsening their quality of life.

For older people, in addition to the treatment prescribed by a doctor, you can also use traditional methods of treatment. These are harmless methods that can be used at home in parallel with drug treatment.

To improve blood flow in the lower extremities, do exercises that have absolutely no contraindications and are easy to do. Watch these exercises in this video.

Cold feet - treatment with folk remedies

I remember how my grandmother, when I was a very small child, constantly warmed my feet over boiled potatoes to warm my feet. She placed a small board on top of the pot with potatoes, and wrapped a blanket over her legs and the pot with potatoes. She sat like that for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes cooled down. After that she always put on warm woolen socks.

Something similar can be done with mustard. I found this recipe on the Internet: as I understand it, add mustard to moderately hot water, so as not to burn your feet, and warm your feet for 20-30 minutes until the water cools down. After which the feet are wiped dry and warm woolen socks are put on.

Do rubbing – massage for the feet. Do stroking, kneading, patting movements 7-10 times on each leg. After this, apply apple cider vinegar to your legs and feet, preferably 6% (you don’t need to dilute it), rub the vinegar into the skin with light movements. After 5-10 minutes, after the vinegar has been well absorbed, put warm socks on your feet and lie there for another 15 minutes.

The most important property in this case is that it has a vasodilating effect and thins the blood, resolves blood clots and clots in the blood vessels.

Similar rubbings can be done with warm vodka, and some even do rubbings “the old fashioned way” with triple cologne. Judging by the reviews, such manipulations help.

Tincture with red pepper. For 200 grams of vodka, take 2 teaspoons of red pepper and place in a dark, warm place for 10 days to infuse. Strain the finished tincture and rub it into your feet before bed every day.

Warming cream. Add red pepper extract, rosemary essential oil, camphor oil to baby cream or Vaseline. The cream should be applied to dry, clean feet, after it has absorbed a little, put on warm socks. Be careful with red pepper: it can cause an allergic reaction or cause irritation.

Take hot foot baths. To 1 liter of hot water, add 10-15 drops of rosemary, clove or cinnamon essential oil and 2 tablespoons of milk to dissolve the essential oil. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes, after which wipe your feet dry and put on warm socks.

To improve the general condition and restore blood circulation in general, it is recommended to carry out preventive courses every 3 months by drinking a honey-vegetable mixture. To prepare it, take:

• a glass of carrot, beet, horseradish juice;
• juice of one lemon;
• 1 glass of honey.

Mix everything, take 2 tablespoons on an empty stomach before meals every day. Store the mixture in the refrigerator.

Surely, many people have encountered a situation where their limbs suffer from cold. Of course, this is a natural reaction of the body to hypothermia, for example, after a walk in the cold. But often feet or hands can freeze not only in winter, but also in summer, and even in a warm room. This problem is more common among older people, but relatively young people and even children can experience it. This phenomenon is more common in men than in women. Why does this happen, and is this symptom not a sign of some serious disease?

Why do your feet get cold when warm and what to do?

Legs are a very important part of the body. And it’s not just that we need them to move. There are many nerve endings concentrated in a person’s feet. There are many small vessels and capillaries in them.

On the other hand, it is worth keeping in mind that the lower part of the legs - feet and toes - is at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the body. After all, the distance from the heart to the legs is much greater than the distance from the heart to other parts of the body. Therefore, blood circulation in the lower legs is not as intense as in the upper torso. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the legs most often receive less blood, and therefore heat, than the rest of the body. It should also be remembered that the legs have relatively little fatty tissue to retain heat.

However, the feeling of cold feet in a warm room should not be experienced by a person whose health does not have weak points. Therefore, feet freezing in the warmth can serve as a kind of diagnostic sign, indicating that not everything is in order in the body.

So, what reasons can cause cold feet? This:

• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• osteochondrosis;
• high or low blood pressure;
• diabetes;
• anemia;
• heart failure;
• dehydration;
• vitamin deficiencies;
• previously suffered frostbite of the legs;
• immunity disorders;
• endocrine disorders, in particular hypothyroidism;
• allergic reactions;
• smoking;
• vein diseases - phlebitis and thrombophlebitis;
• Raynaud's syndrome;
• atopic dermatitis;
• underweight;
• chronic stress;
• cerebrovascular accidents;
• elderly age.

High sensitivity of the feet to cold can also be caused by such circumstances as improper sitting at the table (in which the legs always become numb), sitting on a chair in a position where one leg is crossed over the other, constantly wearing uncomfortable shoes or synthetic socks or tights in which feet are constantly cold or sweaty.

Feet are constantly cold: why are your feet cold?

The feeling of coldness in the extremities is in most cases associated with spasm of peripheral vessels. Quite often, a similar condition occurs with vegetative-vascular dystonia. This syndrome most often manifests itself in young and middle age - from 20 to 40 years. With it, there is an inconsistency in the contractions of blood vessels in the limbs and the heart. Thus, blood may have problems entering the capillaries of the legs and feet.

A similar effect is observed with high blood pressure, when vasospasm occurs. On the other hand, low blood pressure can also cause your feet to feel cold. This is due to the low intensity of blood circulation in this condition. Therefore, if your feet are cold, the reasons for this phenomenon may also lie in unstable blood pressure. Therefore, such a condition requires control of this important physiological parameter.

Previous frostbite on the legs can also affect the sensitivity of the legs to cold. Despite the fact that the limbs seem to recover after such an event, in fact this recovery does not occur completely, and its consequences can be felt until the end of life. Therefore, if you cannot understand why your feet are cold, then perhaps the problem lies in the frostbite of your feet that you suffered a long time ago, maybe even in childhood.

Diabetes mellitus significantly affects the condition of the blood and blood vessels. The vessels become more fragile, and blood clots can form in them. With this disease, the properties of blood and blood supply to tissues deteriorate and, as a result, the legs will lack warmth. However, cold feet are far from the most dangerous consequence of diabetes. In many cases, diabetics can develop a dangerous condition called “diabetic foot,” which in turn can lead to tissue gangrene.

Anemia or lack of hemoglobin leads to tissues receiving insufficient oxygen. As a result, metabolic processes in them are disrupted, which, in particular, results in the effect of chilly feet.

Smoking also leads to disturbances in the walls of small capillaries. They become more brittle and pass blood with great difficulty. Often, heavy smokers are susceptible to a disease such as obliterating endarteritis, which leads to inflammation of blood vessels and the formation of blood clots in them.

Sometimes the feeling of coldness in the feet is combined with increased sweating. Most often, this situation indicates the presence of diabetes mellitus, endocrine disorders (insufficient functionality of the thyroid gland).

Most older people also face this problem. This is due to the fact that in old age the blood supply to the tissues deteriorates.

Are there signs that can help you determine if blood flow is efficient enough in your legs? Such signs are well known. The following symptoms indicate that the vessels of the lower extremities are not doing their job:

• swelling,
• protruding, engorged veins,
• rapid fatigue of the legs when walking,
• frequent cramps of the feet and legs,
• frequent itching in the legs,
• frequent cases of numbness in the legs,
• sagging skin,
• bluish skin color.

How to get rid of this condition?

If the symptom is caused by some disease, then the main attention should be paid to its treatment. And until it is cured, of course, it is necessary to somehow warm the feet. You can also carry out activities to harden the body, contrast showers, physical therapy, and massage. A noticeable effect is provided by folk remedies - rubbing with vinegar and alcohol, baths (warm and contrasting), applying pepper plasters to the feet.

Ethyl alcohol has a good effect in warming the feet. Its use can be combined with the use of warming baths with warm water. For example, if after such a bath you wear thin socks soaked in alcohol, and warm woolen socks on top of them, your feet will quickly warm up. Warm baths with essential oils of coniferous trees and eucalyptus are also effective for warming the feet. The water temperature during this procedure should be 39-40 ºС. The duration of the procedure is 10 minutes.

It should also be remembered that factors contributing to freezing of the feet are poor nutrition, excess weight and physical inactivity. Therefore, you need to take measures to change your lifestyle to the best of your ability. It makes sense for young people to take up sports - cycling, running, swimming. It is necessary to exclude alcohol and coffee from your diet and drink enough liquid.

There are special exercises for the legs that help eliminate swelling and increase the tone of blood vessels and skin. For example, you can simply shake your legs while lying on your back with your knees bent. Or, lying on your stomach, bend your knees freely, hitting your buttocks with your feet.

Factors such as comfortable shoes, proper sitting at the table, etc. are also of great importance. In winter, shoes should not only be warm (this means both thick soles and high-quality shoe material), but also, which is often ignored, not tight, since tight shoes retain heat worse and compress blood vessels. Women are not recommended to wear high heels for more than 4 hours a day. You should also pay attention to the selection of insoles - they should be warm enough and at the same time allow air to pass freely.

Did you like the post?

Rate it - click on the stars!

Everyone knows what needs to be kept warm and what needs to be kept cold. The great Russian commander, Generalissimo, Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov did not forget to remind the soldiers: “Legs are warm, heads are cold!”, and he did not lose a single battle. True, sometimes it is better to cover your head so as not to freeze your thought process, especially in windy weather.

But it happens that the desire to look good outweighs the need to keep your feet warm, and you go outside on a cold autumn evening in thin tights or thin socks, in narrow-toed shoes or boots. Very quickly, your feet become so cold that all your thoughts are focused only on how to somehow quickly get to a warm place and warm them up.

You crawled on your ice cubes to your home and begin to remember: - How to quickly warm your lower limbs? If life teaches you nothing, and you constantly expose your slender legs to stressful cold, hang a reminder above the bathroom:

1. Immerse your feet in hot salted water.

2. Lubricate the soles of the reddened feet with any massage cream and rub well.

3. Put on thick woolen socks and wrap your feet in a blanket.

You looked sadly at your memo and remembered that your hot water was turned off, and your cold feet were already starting to ache in the warmth. What to do? Write down a reminder about the alcohol compress:

1. Rub your feet with a dry towel or soaked in hot water, massaging each toe.

2. Take any thin socks, you can have holes in them, moisten the soles of the socks with vodka (any kind will do, even with pepper or alcohol), put them on your feet.

3. Put on rough woolen socks on top. You will feel a rush of warmth immediately.

If you want to defrost your ice cubes very quickly, and you have ground red hot pepper next to the cockroaches in your kitchen cabinet, pour it directly into your socks. Don’t be alarmed if a Prussian suddenly crawls in there by chance - he will tickle your sole, and there are very important areas on it.

Or maybe you would like to soak your numb feet in a fragrant bath? To fulfill such a whim, you need the following: sea salt, lavender or rosemary oil, half a glass of milk. To three tablespoons of sea salt, add 1 teaspoon of butter, milk, pour it all into hot water and immerse your frozen feet. Oh, how grateful they will be to you - not only will they be warm, but they will also receive food!

And if you suffer from freezing feet not only in cold weather, what should you do in this case? First of all, you need to observe yourself and find out what other symptoms appear when your feet are cold. If you feel cold after eating, check the patency of the bile ducts; if the pulse slows down, arrhythmia, greasy hair, brittle nails appear - pay attention to the thyroid gland; if you experience swelling of the feet, pain when walking in the shin area, dilated veins, venous mesh - run to the doctor as soon as possible so as not to develop varicose veins.

Feet may freeze if there is a problem with the heart. If you climb stairs and experience shortness of breath, or notice swelling of your feet after drinking liquid, make an appointment with a cardiologist and get an electrocardiogram. It would be a good idea to take a blood test and conduct an ultrasound examination of the blood vessels in the legs.

Do not be alarmed ahead of time if your feet freeze not only in cold weather - this can happen to you due to the structural features of your body. Remember! Smoking and alcohol abuse have a bad effect on your blood vessels. Try to have as few of these troubles in your precious life as possible.

Take a contrast shower daily and massage your feet. Before going outside in cold weather, lubricate your favorite feet with badger or mink oil. Take care of yourself, toughen up, and may health accompany you.