How can you tell when cold can be a sign of a health problem?
Airports, cinemas, and doctors ‘ offices are places where you can expect to be cold. Even in summer it is not unusual to see people with sweaters in such spaces because of air conditioning. But what if you find yourself in a situation where you are the only person who is cold?
The intolerance to the cold is not an emergency, but it should not be ignored. It may be a sign that you should have a medical examination, Prede Dr. Omodamola Aye, an endocrinologist at the Berkeley Medical Center, which is linked to the Massachusetts University Medical School (UMas).
Besides a distinct sense of cold, other symptoms of intolerance to cold may include pain, needle piercing, numbness, trembling, weakness, swelling, or changes in skin color when exposed to cold temperatures. Even when the feeling of cold is not accompanied by these extra symptoms, it can still make it difficult for you to enjoy your daily activities. Think about this: Can you really focus on someone’s conversation or your favorite hobby while shaking with the cold?
Sometimes feeling cold simply means that you should wear another layer of clothing. However, this may also be a sign of a health problem.
What’s the first thing an endocrinologist controls when someone complains about being cold?
When the patient tells her that she is often cold, Dr. Aye claims she’s asking you first how long, so. Is the feeling of constant cold or interrupted? It also questions other accompanying symptoms, such as fatigue, hair loss, body weight changes, or changes in waste, such as constipation.
If it is applicable, I would also ask if there are any menstrual irregularities, changes in skin or nails, such as the delicate nails and dry skin, and if there is a family history of thyroid disease, says Dr. Aye.
All of these are important indications that can help identify the root causes of the problem.
However, only on the basis of answers to these questions can it be reached at a certain point. Hence, Dr. He’s going to run additional tests.
A test of the thyroid function is the first on my test list, because it is well known that hypothyroidism can be manifested by intolerance to cold, she explains for Parade.
In view of this, it would control the level of thyroid stimulant hormone ( TSH, which is produced from the pituitary gland in the brain and which stimulates thyroid glands to produce more hormones, then toroxin (T4), the main hormone that the thyroid gland produces and preserves in an inactive form, and triiodronin (T3), an active hormone that regulates metabolicism.
Besides these thyroid hormone tests, Dr. Aye claims that it would also require a full count of blood to check whether the patient has anemia and an iron status analysis.
Three health problems that can make you feel cold all the time
There are several possible reasons why a person can often feel cold, and the questions and tests conducted by Dr. Aye help him to narrow potential causes. The three most common are listed below.
Metabolic Changes
According to Dr. Aya, metabolism is responsible for maintaining the body’s internal temperature.
Hypothroidism patients have a markedly slower metabolism, so they tend to feel very cold, she explains.
Hippothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce and release enough hormones. As Dr. Aye, that causes the slowness of metabolism. Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, depression, or anxiety, skin or dry hair, heavy menstrual cycles, numbness, muscle weakness, and unexplorable weight gain.
Hormonal Balance
Hormonal imbalances may also be the reason why someone often feels cold, says Dr. Aye, adding that hypothyroidism is a classic example of such a situation. However, apart from hypothyroidism, the feeling of cold can also be a symptom of phinnopause, or menopause.
Women in vegetablees or menopauses often complain of hot flashes followed by cold perspirations, says Dr. Aye.
She explains that estrogen regulates body thermostat and that in women in phinnopause or menopausis, while estrogen levels fall, the thermostat may begin to malfunction. This leads to hot flashes and cold sweat, causing some women to constantly take off their covers at night.
According to a scientific summary published in 2019 in the Journal of Mid-Life Health, more than 80 percent of women in menopaus experience hot flashes. While they are most often mentioned in the context of a sense of overheating in everyday conversation, these animals are often followed by cold sweats.
Low body mass index
This too may make you feel cold more often, says Dr. Aye.
Significant calories and weight loss can also slow metabolicism, damaging body capacity to maintain heat, she explains.
In addition, people with a low BMI often feel cold more often than those with a higher BMI.
The lower the body mass, the less natural isolation a person has, explains Dr. Aye.
Especially when body weight decreases rapidly, the body, he says, further slows down metabolicism in order to save energy, which can then lead to a frequent sense of cold.
When to Visit a Doctor Because of a Persistent Sense of Cold
If you are regularly cold while the people around you are not, Dr. Aye recommends that you arrange for a doctor or your endocrinologist to determine if there are any medical reasons for this.
If the frequent sense of cold is accompanied by fatigue, body weight changes, waste changes, changes in skin, hair, and nails, or menstrual irregularities, you should definitely visit a doctor, she tells Parade. This may indicate hypothyroidism or anemia from the lack of iron, a condition that is easily diagnosed and treated. )
Especially if the feeling of cold interferes with your daily life and prevents you from enjoying activities that you enjoy is worth talking to your doctor. There are opportunities for treatment on all causes mentioned by Dr. Are you? If you do not go for an examination, you will never know the true reason for your cooling, nor will you be able to get proper treatment.
The feeling of cold is your body’s way of signaling it needs something. Sometimes it’s just another sweater. In other cases, however, there is something you need to help a doctor.
