This video is meant to expand your general knowledge about living a healthy life and is NOT a substitute for seeking medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before making changes in your health practices, diet and self-care.
In this video, pharmacist Abraham Khodadi explains why some people are plagued with cold hands and feet, and offers advice – and exercises – for tackling this uncomfortable condition.
Of course, it’s normal to feel coldness in the extremities from time to time, but at other times it can be a symptom of an underlying health condition.
For example, the body has an automatic process called thermoregulation, where it adjusts itself to keep its core temperature stable. Because of this, the body’s natural response is to ensure the vital inner organs, like the heart and brain, never lose warmth. One way the body does this is by narrowing the blood vessels in the extremities, like hands and feet. While this redirects the blood to the body’s core, which helps keep it warm and reduce heat loss, it can nevertheless translate to those uncomfortable cold hands and feet.
Sometimes though, the blood vessels in hands can spasm as a result of anxiety or stress, and go cold, painful, numb, experience pins or needles, or even change colour at the same time – a condition known as Raynaud’s phenomenon.
There are also some things that can make cold hands and feet occur more frequently, or more intensely.
For example, any condition affecting blood flow or temperature regulation. This can include conditions such as anaemia, diabetes, peripheral artery disease, and, of course, smoking. Some studies also suggest that sex and ethnicity may play a role, with research showing women with Asian ancestry may be more likely to suffer from cold hands and feet.
The NHS exercises mentioned in the video, to combat cold hands, can be found here.
View the original video here.
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