Constantly cold hands and feet– this is the problem of almost every third woman on our planet. The hands and feet of such representatives of the fairer sex can remain cold even in the hottest weather, which causes significant inconvenience. People with cold hands are forced to insulate themselves more thoroughly, wear warm gloves and woolen socks instead of silk stockings. However, even these tricks do not solve the problem of always cold hands and feet. Many scientists are trying to figure out this natural mystery, and today a clear answer to the question “Why are there people who always have cold hands?”
Why are your hands and feet cold?
Scientists have found that women have weaker thermoregulation in the body compared to men. Nature made us this way. However, there are other reasons for cold hands:
Vegetative-vascular dystonia
This disease is widespread among modern people, and residents of large cities are more susceptible to this disease than residents of villages. This disease is accompanied by headache, confusion, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness and vascular problems. With vegetative-vascular dystonia, the vessels of our body begin to contract randomly, which leads to poor blood supply to some organs and systems. People suffering from this disease often experience constantly cold hands and feet.
Iron-deficiency anemia
Always cold hands. This term means a lack of iron in the human body. The deficiency of this important microelement leads to the fact that a person wastes heat much faster and freezes.
Low calorie diet
Women who exhaust themselves with all kinds of diets often suffer from constantly cold hands and feet. Every day a person should receive required amount fats, proteins, carbohydrates and other microelements. Only with a complete set can the body function fully. If the body constantly does not receive enough fat, this can lead to various problems. In particular - to always cold hands and feet;
Thyroid diseases
In case of any dysfunction, the thyroid gland produces a small amount of hormones, which is not enough for the whole body. Due to lack of energy, not only your hands and feet freeze, but your entire body. Constantly cold hands or fingers may be a sign of problems occurring in the body.
Cold hands of a child
Cold hands in a child may mean that he is very cold or ill. If a child’s cold hands and feet are accompanied by a fever, then this indicates a cold. As a rule, the problem of cold hands and feet in a child goes away on its own with recovery. Cold hands on a baby are not a cause for alarm if the baby eats and develops normally. In newborns, heat exchange is significantly different from that of adults, so even in extreme heat, infants may have cold hands. However, if the baby has stopped being active and has lost his appetite, then cold feet and hands may be a sign of illness. In this case, you should call a pediatrician.
Questions and answers on the topic "Cold hands and feet"
Question:Our baby is already 2 months old. The temperature in our room is constantly maintained at 21-22 degrees. But he always has cold hands and feet, although his nose is warm and he himself is warm too. Could there be something wrong here?
Answer: The main thing that is wrong here is the axiom of the broad masses of working people that their hands and feet should be warm. Should not.
Question:If a person has constantly cold hands, is this a sign of some kind of disease?
Answer: Normally, if a person is warmly dressed and the ambient temperature is comfortable, then the limbs should be warm. Cold hands can occur due to insufficient blood circulation. For example, with low blood pressure and vegetative-vascular dystonia. You may have a slow metabolism.
Question:Dear doctors! The child is 2 years 4 months old. We go to kindergarten. Yesterday they called from the kindergarten - the temperature was 38.2. They took me home right away. They installed efferalgan. The child fell asleep. In the evening the temperature was 37.3. It's hot at night, but at the same time my hands and feet are cold. We put on woolen socks, give cranberries, just some water, saline solution in the nose and Otrivin at night (it bothers the nose). Why are my feet and hands cold at a general temperature? And how to act correctly in such a situation? Thank you.
Answer: This is the so-called “white” fever, when against the background of high temperature there is vascular spasm and coldness of the extremities. All this interferes with heat transfer and temperature reduction. This is a more unpleasant and dangerous variant than regular “red” fever. However, you cannot use physical methods cooling (rubbing, as they can increase vascular spasm). Dress the child’s hands and feet (socks), give antipyretics at any temperature, give plenty of fluids and ALWAYS give from 1/4 to 1/2 tablets of nosh-pa, depending on age. At very high temperature and similar symptoms, call an ambulance so that the doctor gives the child a lytic mixture.
Question:Why are my child's hands cold?
Answer: Basically, cold hands or feet small child- this is not a reason to worry at all. After all, a small child's blood circulation is not so good, and therefore the limbs may be cold. If the child eats well and looks completely healthy, then there is no reason to worry.
All parents, especially inexperienced mothers, do not miss the opportunity to be nervous about the health of their babies. Such increased attention to the baby helps save him from many unpleasant things. For example, cold hands and feet together with a child's normal body temperature may indicate health problems.
This condition is considered quite normal only for children under two years of age. And for older children, this is a reason to consult a pediatrician for advice.
Small children
Contrary to popular belief, newborns and infants should not be wrapped! Although caring grandmothers strongly advise doing this. The fact is that such a baby is easy to overheat. Babies have a poorly adjusted thermoregulation system. This mechanism is not yet fully formed until 6-8 months and even at a later age.
Babies hardly sweat and it’s hard for them to cool down when wrapped in warm diapers or an extra blouse or romper! This should not be forgotten, since overheating is more dangerous to the health of the baby than short-term cooling.
Therefore, you should not worry about cool skin on your legs and arms until you are two years old. Over time, the body will cope with the task - it will adapt to the environment and everything will return to normal.
For newborns and children under 2 years old, there is a more accurate way to determine whether they are comfortable being indoors or outdoors.
The main thing is color skin:
- Bluishness or extreme pallor when normal temperature air in the room or on the street, accompanied by a feeling of icy coldness when touching the limbs, should alert parents! This means that the baby is frozen - the blood vessels have narrowed, trying to maintain the optimal temperature.
- The pink color when the skin feels cool indicates normal thermoregulation - the body has adjusted to the environment and cools itself through open limbs. This is hardening, which is very useful for the immune system!
The skin of babies is very thin and the blood vessels in it are located close to the surface of the epidermis. It is for this reason that their contraction from cold or expansion from heat accurately indicates the baby’s condition - the skin changes color and tells the mother whether additional clothing is needed.
Children over 2 years old
In children over two years of age, coolness of the skin on the extremities may indicate various pathological conditions:
- Your legs and arms look icy. If this symptom is detected and the baby looks lethargic, it is necessary to measure the temperature.
- Thyroid diseases also manifest themselves through impaired thermoregulation. To exclude this pathology, you need to visit an endocrinologist.
- A decline in immunity almost always causes deterioration general well-being, lethargy, complaints of freezing hands and feet. It is necessary to visit a pediatrician to rule out colds and work on strengthening the immune system - hardening, adjusting nutrition and the duration of walks. You should be in the air for at least 3-4 hours a day.
- Stress, nervous tension, negative emotions also disrupt heat exchange. This condition can be diagnosed by wet palms and cool feet and hands. The baby needs to be reassured. The doctor may prescribe sedatives based mental state crumbs and other circumstances.
- Failure of the autonomic nervous system, as a rule, does not require any treatment and goes away with age. But a consultation with a pediatrician will not be superfluous - the doctor must observe the child to rule out diseases internal organs. Due to spasms in small vessels, the blood supply to the entire body is disrupted.
If it is difficult for parents to make a preliminary diagnosis on their own and this condition of the baby causes great concern, it is better to trust the specialists. You can call your family doctor or ambulance, visit the children's clinic.
Care cannot be superfluous! It’s better to play it safe and not risk the child’s life. Doctors will understand the situation and will not judge worried parents.
Particularly important correct reaction with a sharp increase in the baby's temperature. Parents should measure it as soon as they notice that the baby's hands or feet are too cold. Drinking plenty of warm water can help. At temperatures above 38 degrees, you must call a doctor to start treatment as early as possible and reduce the likelihood of complications.
Newborns often have cold hands. Sometimes you can even notice a bluish tint on them. But this is not at all an indicator of the disease. Cold extremities are a consequence of a poorly developed circulatory system. If the child still has a good appetite and sleep, there is no particular cause for concern. As a rule, the situation returns to normal by 3-4 months.
What are the causes of cold hands in children?
The reason for cold hands in infancy is clear. But sometimes this problem does not go away with age, and parents seriously think about what to do about it. So, if you constantly observe cold extremities in your baby, probable reasons may be:
- thyroid disease;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia;
- Iron-deficiency anemia.
First of all, the possibility of these diseases should be eliminated by showing the child to a doctor. Most common cause is vegetative-vascular dystonia. Typically, it occurs in children between 5 and 7 years of age. During this period, the body is actively developing and the blood vessels often do not have time to adapt. This can also happen in adolescence. The main thing is that parents need to ensure that their child’s diet contains enough vitamins and minerals. If dystonia does not go away at a later age (from 12 to 17 years), the teenager should be shown to a doctor. Timely treatment will save him from many problems.
Thyroid disease may also be the cause. When its functions are impaired, the production of hormones decreases. The body does not receive enough energy, and the limbs begin to freeze.
Iron deficiency anemia can lead to “cold hands syndrome” due to a lack of such an important element as iron. It causes rapid dissipation of heat in the body, and as a result, freezing of the extremities.
Temporary cold hands in children can be caused by hypothermia or a cold. This results in impaired heat transfer and narrowing of blood vessels. As a rule, when the child recovers, the problem disappears on its own.
What to do if your baby has cold hands?
There are several tips that can help get rid of the problem of cold hands in children:
- Eliminate the possibility of the above diseases by showing your child to the doctor.
- Make sure your baby leads an active life. It won't hurt to do exercises in the morning. It helps tone the body and improve blood circulation.
- It is necessary that the child’s clothes are of high quality: they fit freely and do not restrict movement.
- It is important to pay attention to your baby’s diet. It must contain the required amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and microelements. It is also necessary to give your child hot food.
- Ginger will not be amiss in the diet of the whole family. This plant is characterized by a warming and tonic effect. But it is important to remember that ginger should not be given to very young children. It is also undesirable for people with stomach ulcers.
The problem of cold hands in children worries a considerable number of parents. It does not pose a great danger to the baby's health. The main thing is to take action in time. We hope that the above tips will help your baby get rid of this problem.
It is difficult to argue with the fact that most parents await the birth of their miracle with great impatience and trepidation. Small child not only brings joy to the family, but also completely changes the usual lifestyle of his parents. Additional worries and troubles appear, which are not always pleasant.
Young mothers do not leave their babies a single step. At the same time, they very closely monitor their breathing and every movement. If suddenly it seems to them that something went wrong, that the baby behaved strangely, then they are immediately seized by panic, and there is not always a reason for it - in most cases, mothers simply work themselves up.
However, sometimes some important signs, which would really be worth paying attention to, go unnoticed. Often parents are faced with the phenomenon of cold hands on a child, and in this situation a lot of questions arise as to why the child has cold hands and how safe it is.
Causes of cold hands in a child
If it is noticed that a child has cold hands for a long time, then the reasons may be the following:
- vegetative-vascular dystonia;
- anemia caused by iron deficiency in the body;
- thyroid diseases.
In the case when the baby almost always has cold hands, it is necessary to show him to the doctor. This is done in order to confirm or refute guesses regarding the presence of a particular disease.
In children infancy Such a condition as cold hands is quite acceptable, and this is not necessarily due to illness. In young children, the process of thermoregulation occurs differently, compared with adults. Therefore, a situation may arise when it is hot outside, but the child’s hands are very cold.
If, along with this, nothing negative happens to the child, that is, he does not cry, sleeps and eats well, then there is no reason to worry. But if everything is different, the baby practically does not eat or sleep, then it is best to seek advice from a specialist.
Causes of cold hands in children of different ages
If we consider cold hands in a child who is from 5 to 7 years old, then their cause may be dystonia. In fact, there is nothing to worry about - it is at this age that children actively develop and grow. As a rule, blood vessels do not always keep up with such a rapid pace of development. IN in this case Experts recommend that parents monitor their child’s diet, which should contain as many vitamin-containing foods as possible, as well as foods with a lot of minerals.
If cold hands are observed from 12 to 17 years of age, this may indicate that dystonia is still present, and should not be overlooked. This is where action needs to be taken.
There is an opinion among parents that a child has cold extremities because he is stressed or very tired at school. But as practice shows, this statement has only partial validity. If you carefully monitor the problem, it is possible to prevent the further occurrence of a vegetative crisis. If it was not possible to avoid this phenomenon, then the problem can be solved with the help of medications.
It is not advisable to select medications yourself - here you need to consult a specialist. IN otherwise The child may develop an addiction to the medicine, and in the future he will not be able to do without it.
In some cases, cold hands may not be associated with stress or illness, but with the fact that the child is freezing. There are often situations when he, in connection with colds The body temperature rises, but the hands remain cold. As a rule, as soon as the child fully recovers, everything falls into place and the problem of cold hands disappears.
What to do if your child has cold hands?
1. Initially, you should consult your doctor to determine if you have any medical conditions, such as anemia or thyroid-related illnesses.
2. The child must lead active image life. Physical exercise will provide an opportunity to improve blood circulation.
3. You need to carefully monitor your diet. The child should eat hot meals every day.
4. Special attention should be paid to clothing and shoes - they should be as comfortable as possible and in no case tight.
5. During the cold season, it is recommended to give your child tea with ginger, as it has an antibacterial effect and improves immunity.
From the moment the heir is born, our life is filled with new joy and happiness, which is necessarily accompanied by natural concerns and worries about the little person. For any mother, the health, happiness and development of the child is the main desire and aspiration, so it is not surprising that young women pay a lot of attention to medical issues related to the child.
One of the most common problems with which mothers come to the pediatrician is low temperature baby's hands and feet.
Let's find out what can cause cold extremities in children, how dangerous this problem can be and how it can be dealt with.
Causes
Let's start with the youngest children. Heat exchange in the body of newborn children (from birth to 6 months) is still imperfect, since adaptation occurs during this period little man to the new surrounding world. During the first months after birth, the temperature of the baby's body and limbs
or it may differ significantly, and there is nothing unnatural about it. In this case, it will be enough to wear warm socks and mittens made of soft natural material, for example, bikes.
If the newborn eats well, remains in good mood, there is no need to worry about his limbs being cold. But if this condition is accompanied by moodiness, rashes, and other skin rashes, elevated temperature bodies, poor appetite or lethargy, the baby should be shown to a pediatrician, since these signs may be the cause of some disease.
In an older child, aged 4-7 years, the cause of constantly cold hands and feet may be fast growth. There is nothing terrible about this, since such a condition is caused by the active development of all organs and systems, and therefore the vessels often simply do not have time to adapt to this process and are compressed, as a result of which blood circulation is disrupted.
However, rapid growth is far from the only possible reason syndrome "cold extremities" in children. Let's find out why the child still has preschool age and a teenager may have constantly cold feet and hands.
Decreased immunity. Cold extremities, accompanied by lethargy, apathy, pallor, fatigue, deterioration of brain activity (as a rule, children in such cases begin to lag behind in school) may be a consequence of poor nutrition.
Even for an adult and mature person to maintain vitality and energy production requires rational, nutritious nutrition. And for a growing and still weak organism, this need is doubly important, because in order to grow and develop properly, it needs vitamins, micro- and macroelements, a sufficient amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
Inadequate nutrition and unhealthy foods, such as chips, nuts, crackers, fast food, sweet soda, popcorn, negatively affect health, cause a decrease in immunity and, as a result, iron deficiency anemia.
A poor diet also leads to a decrease in blood pressure, which can result in a decrease in the temperature of the hands and feet in children.
Problems with the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a key link in the hormonal system of the entire body. With a deficiency of thyroid hormones, metabolic processes slow down, manifested by ice limb syndrome.
This problem affects girls more often than boys (approximately 5 times), as well as children living in environmentally unfavorable areas.
Neurocircular (or vegetative-vascular) dystonia. The autonomic nervous system plays a vital role in the life of the body - it constantly monitors heart contractions, the functioning of all systems and organs, breathing rate, etc. That is why disruption of its functioning entails muscle spasms and circulatory disorders.
Dystonia, in turn, can be caused by various factors- increased nervous excitability, stress, anxiety, sleep deficiency, drinking coffee, tea, energy drinks, alcohol, unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, chronic lack of fresh air.
Often this problem goes away on its own with age, however, with in the wrong way life may remain forever.
Flaw motor activity. The cause of cold extremities can be trivial - hypothermia and wearing tight shoes. Often children, especially teenagers, for the sake of dubious fashion or as a result of ordinary absent-mindedness, may neglect to wear gloves and warm socks during the cold season. As a result of being outside, the child’s hands and feet become cold, which causes real horror for caring mothers, fathers and grandmothers.
What to do?
If you notice that your child has cold extremities, do not ignore the situation.
To make sure that there is no disease, take your baby to the pediatrician - a specialist will help you understand the problem and prescribe the necessary tests and studies, if necessary. If the cause of constantly cold hands and feet in a child is still a serious illness, it requires immediate treatment, because many diseases in childhood can become chronic and “grow up” with the person.
If the specialist does not find any pathology, pay attention to the lifestyle and nutrition of your heir.
To strengthen your immune system and get rid of the problem, listen to the following tips:
- Make your child’s life active - do not allow him to sit for hours at a computer or smartphone, teach him to play sports and help him fall in love with an active lifestyle. Don't let yourself miss classes physical culture, walk together more often in the forest, park or near bodies of water;
- Do not swaddle infants in thick blankets, this will only worsen the problem. Allow the baby to actively move his arms and legs;
- Do not put tight and uncomfortable shoes on your baby. This is especially true for teenage girls who love to show off in high-heeled shoes. When buying shoes for a preschooler, make sure that between thumb and there was a space of at least one centimeter at the toe of the product;
- during the cold season, make sure that the heir is dressed in comfortable and warm clothes. But you shouldn’t overdo it by dressing your baby up like a cabbage either, as this will lead to the baby simply sweating in the cold;
- Monitor your son or daughter’s diet. It must be complete, rational, contain all the substances necessary for a person at this age - microelements, vitamins, fiber, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The daily diet must include fresh and/or boiled vegetables, cereals, fruits and juices, herbs, eggs, and grain bread. Make sure your child eats a hot first course at least once a day. Also introduce ginger (fresh or dried) into his diet - this fruit has wonderful "warming up" blood abilities, and also helps strengthen the immune system;
- Take care of your baby’s psychological health. Take an interest in his relationships with peers and friends, never refuse moral support, become imbued with his problems and be prepared to take them seriously. Remember that emotional problems easily turn into physiological ones.
As you can see, the reasons why
