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Why are my feet cold - what to do? What to do if your feet are constantly cold, even in the heat

Update: October 2018

Usually people do not pay attention to such an unimportant thing as cold feet or do not attach much importance to it if the feeling has already become habitual and has ceased to cause discomfort. Cold feet occur most often in winter or autumn, when a person often gets cold or gets their feet wet.

But if your feet are constantly freezing, even when a person is in a warm, heated room, it is worth looking for the reasons more meticulously. This problem is very often faced by women and men over forty years of age. Most often, poor blood circulation or disturbances in the activity of the nervous system (looseness or low tone of its autonomic part) are to blame.

Cold extremities in healthy people

The feet are the temperature regulator of the entire body. The fact is that the lower limbs are a distant part of the body, where it is difficult for the heart to deliver blood. And doctors strongly recommend hardening your feet, for example, walking barefoot in the summer or at home. Shoes must be selected carefully, according to the season.

Causes of constantly cold feet

The most common cause of cold feet is PBP (peripheral vascular disease). BPS often affects the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the periphery, as well as those vessels through which blood moves, on the contrary, to the heart. Below is a complete list of vascular causes of cold feet:

Diabetes

If the feet are constantly cold, the cause may be diabetes mellitus, in which small and large vessels become more fragile and prone to thrombosis. Cold feet can be a harbinger of such a formidable complication of diabetes as a diabetic foot, in which the nutrition of the leg tissues gradually becomes worse and the risks of its amputation increase (see,).

Anemia

Anemia (low hemoglobin) impairs the supply of oxygen to the tissues, which slows down metabolic processes and heat generation. A sharp cold snap of the extremities gives acute anemia due to blood loss, for example. with injuries (see).

Raynaud's disease or syndrome

Symptoms of poor blood flow

  • Fatigue and pain, as well as the appearance of swelling in the lower leg or foot. At rest, the pain should decrease.
  • Feeling tired during even slight exertion.
  • Convulsive involuntary twitching of the muscles of the leg and buttocks.
  • When in a stationary state, for example, during sleep, convulsive twitches in the feet and legs can also occur.

Nonvascular Causes of Cold Feet

Age

Various changes associated with age. After fifty years, the immune system is very often weakened, and hormonal changes also occur, the volume of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat decreases (disrupting heat transfer), blood circulation worsens, metabolism slows down, and the body's ability to self-regulate decreases.

Hypothyroidism

Or in other words, a decrease in the functionality of the thyroid glands - this condition causes a slowdown in all metabolic processes in the body. Heat transfer suffers and slows down. Characterized by a feeling of fatigue, a feeling of cold, a drop in interest in life, a slowdown in perception and memorization. The release of energy is significantly reduced.

Constantly cold feet are combined with pallor, dryness and swelling of the skin, brittle nails and. It worsens the condition and hypoacid gastritis, leading to a decrease in appetite and secondary iron deficiency anemia. This disease is mainly found in people over 40 years of age, in women after undergoing thyroid resections, radiation therapy.

Atopic dermatitis in childhood

Cold feet are an almost inevitable phenomenon if you suffered in childhood (in simple terms - a pronounced diathesis). It has long been known that allergic manifestations remain forever and are combined with autonomic dysfunctions, manifested in the form of white dermographism (when you run a finger over the skin of the forearm, a persistent white appears instead of a red stripe, indicating a prolonged vascular spasm).

Taking certain medications

Some drugs can also be a factor that causes "cold feet". Feet get cold in heat when taking beta-blockers (atenolol, anaprilin). For gynecological diseases, women may be prescribed ergot preparations, which also cause chilliness.

Acute allergic reactions

Acute allergy in the form or due to a sharp expansion of small vessels gives a significant heat loss and may be accompanied by chilliness of the skin.

Provocateurs of cold feet

In addition to diseases, cold feet can be caused by the following habits and factors:

  • obesity
  • smoking
  • hypodynamia
  • improper and irregular diet
  • diabetes
  • pregnancy or nerve disease.

Cold feet: what to do?

And so what to do if such a misfortune happened? To get started, you should use simple recommendations to help warm your feet: use woolen socks, a knee-length bath with mustard, or just warm water.

Long-term events look like this.

  • It is imperative to quit smoking.
  • You need to dress strictly in accordance with weather conditions, avoiding tight clothing for the lower half of the body.
  • Shoes must be chosen carefully and according to size.
  • Get regular exercise, such as exercising.
  • Eat more protein foods, as well as various spicy foods, spices and seasonings, such as red pepper or mustard.
  • Avoid any stress.
  • It is advisable not to abuse strong tea, as well as coffee. You need to drink tea with motherwort, mint, valerian.
  • If the feet are not only cold, but also sweaty, then it is advisable to make warm foot baths using sea salt or mustard. For example, salt baths are made as follows: two tablespoons of salt (sea salt, can be purchased at the nearest pharmacy), two tablespoons of milk must be dissolved in boiled, hot water. After the bath, you must wear thick, woolen socks (you can knit slippers).
  • If you stand at work all day, then in the evening you need to take baths with the addition of mustard. This will improve blood circulation and relieve swelling.
  • When even the slightest signs of freezing of the legs appear, it is necessary to give them a massage. First, rub the soles of each foot, then massage your fingers. After that, put on warm socks (preferably preheated).
  • There may be contraindications to the next procedure (for example, varicose veins). Prepare two containers with hot and cold water. Feet must first be placed in a container with warm water for 5-10 minutes, while doing a massage. Then the legs should be put in cold water for 10-20 minutes. The procedure is repeated until the warm water cools down. Also, it must necessarily end with immersion of the feet in cold water.

Folk remedies for cold feet

There are many more folk ways that help to recover from this disease. For example:

Alcohol compress

It is done as follows: it is necessary to moisten the soles of the socks with alcohol or vodka, warm the feet in warm water and put on these socks. It is also recommended to wear woolen socks over the top. After that, within five minutes you will feel that your feet are completely warmed up.

Hot pepper

Pepper in a ground state will perfectly warm the skin if it is applied to it. The irritation it causes is not significant. A great solution is to put pepper in your socks or grease your legs before you go outside.

Sophora tincture

Insist for one month 50 grams of fruits (you can flowers) Sophora per half liter of vodka. You need to drink this tincture three times a day, one teaspoon. It is necessary to drink tincture from three to four months.

mistletoe leaves

It is necessary to completely grind the dried mistletoe leaves to flour. Pour one teaspoon (with a slide) of ground mistletoe with one glass (200 milliliters) of boiling water and leave overnight in a thermos. Mistletoe is taken in small sips of two tablespoons 10-20 minutes before meals. Mistletoe also needs to be drunk for three to four months. Mistletoe regulates blood pressure, especially cardiac, has a calming effect.

Gymnastics

As mentioned above, exercise helps get rid of cold feet. Below we will consider a set of gymnastic exercises aimed specifically at the problem of cold feet.

leg shake

For example, shaking the legs is a very useful procedure. When shaken, the capillaries are subjected to vibration, which in turn leads to contraction of blood vessels and improvement of blood circulation. It is necessary to lie on your back on a flat and hard surface (for example, the floor), then you need to raise your legs, as well as your arms so that they form an angle of 90 degrees with the body. In this position, you need to shake them for one to two minutes.

Reeds in the wind

Lie on your stomach, relax your legs and at the same time bend them at the knees. Next, you need to give them freedom of movement, you need to imagine that they are a reed that sways from gusts of wind (the exercise, by the way, is called “Reed in the Wind”). It is necessary that the legs hit the priest.

Massage with walnuts

This exercise will not only improve the circulation of the body, but it can also help relieve stress. This exercise is performed as follows: nuts (walnuts) are placed between the palms and rotational movements are made for two to three minutes. It is very important at the same time to make an effort so that the nuts are pressed tightly against the palms. After that, it is necessary to do the same, but not with the palms, but with the feet. These exercises must be performed twice a day: in the morning and in the evening.

If all household tricks do not help to cope with cold feet, you should go to see a doctor. The therapist, after asking about complaints, taking an anamnesis and examining, will recommend taking blood and urine tests, as well as performing an ECG. If necessary, a consultation with a vascular surgeon and an ultrasound examination of the vessels of the legs will be scheduled. With the exclusion of vascular pathologies, a visit to a neuropathologist and endocrinologist follows.

If a person's feet are constantly cold, as a rule, such a state gradually becomes habitual for him, and he does not perceive this phenomenon as something alarming. As a rule, the feet get cold in autumn and winter when the shoes get wet, or the person freezes in the cold.

However, if a person is constantly cold in the legs, even if he stays in a warm and comfortable room, the causes of this phenomenon are associated with certain pathologies of the body. As a rule, a similar symptom often worries representatives of both ages after 40 years. If the legs are very cold, most likely this is due to circulatory disorders or malfunctions in the function of the nervous system. If the legs and hands are cold, what to do, it will be discussed in the article below, where the reasons for this phenomenon are also analyzed.

Why do healthy feet get cold?

The legs are the temperature regulator of his entire body. After all, it is difficult for the heart to pump blood to the lower limbs. Therefore, hardening of the legs is very important. If you walk barefoot at home, and then walk barefoot on the grass in the same way in the summer, you can gradually become more resistant to cold. You should always choose shoes only for the season. Sometimes, if a person is interested in why his feet are cold at home, it is enough for him to change his home shoes to eliminate this problem.

If you are interested in why your feet are constantly cold, the reasons may be related to the fact that you are used to wrapping up, wearing warm socks at room temperature. Most often in such cases, toes freeze in people with slight deviations in functioning. autonomic nervous system .

If the feet are cold, then they will be cold until they are warmed up. Even if the air temperature is normal, and the person is warm, the feet, which are in cool water or on a cold floor, freeze. Such a phenomenon is called « trench foot » , since it was in the trenches of the war that the feet were often froze even at positive temperatures.

If the feet are cold, the causes of this phenomenon may be due to the fact that a person sits with his legs crossed for a long time, and blood flow is disturbed. Gradually, the feet become numb and freeze.

Once a person has endured frostbite , he periodically notes that his legs are cold from the knee to the foot. That is, the consequences after frostbite remain for life. Healthy people feel comfortable at a temperature of 15-17 degrees, but those who once froze their feet feel that their legs are getting cold even at this temperature.

The limbs are often cold in those people who adhere to very strict diets or starve.

Many people are interested in why their feet and hands are cold. The reasons for this phenomenon can be associated with a variety of factors. But most often, the causes of cold hands and feet are associated with peripheral vascular disease. This disease affects those vessels that carry blood from the heart and back to the heart.

Diabetes

The answer to the question why the hands and feet are cold all the time may be. With this disease, the vessels become very fragile, there is a tendency to. Therefore, if a person has constantly cold limbs at a comfortable temperature, this may be evidence of the development of such a formidable disease as diabetes mellitus.

If the lower limbs become cold, this may also indicate the development of a serious complication, which is called "diabetic foot" . In this condition, the nutrition of leg tissues gradually worsens, and, accordingly, the likelihood of development increases. With this complication, the risk of extremity increases.

Raynaud's syndrome

Atopic dermatitis in childhood

If a person suffered in childhood, then in adulthood he will complain that his limbs are freezing. Allergic manifestations are combined with vegetative disorders and appear as white dermographism . This phenomenon is characterized by the fact that if you run a finger over the skin of the forearm, then a white stripe will appear, not red, which indicates a vascular spasm.

The use of certain drugs

The limbs sometimes become cold if the person is taking certain medications. This can happen if you are being treated with beta-blockers (, ). Ergot preparations also cause chilliness - they are prescribed for certain gynecological diseases.

Acute allergic manifestations

With a sharp expansion of small vessels, which occurs at or, there is a strong heat loss and, as a result, chilliness of the legs is noted.

Diseases of the peripheral nerves can cause a feeling of numbness and cold feet for a long time. This happens when radiculoneuritis lumbar segment, inflammation of the lumbar plexus, neurinomach sciatic nerve.

The consequences of acute circulatory disorders of the brain, or, are accompanied by trophic disorders, in particular coldness of the skin. In people with sacral and lumbar also often chilly legs.

What causes chilly limbs?

If your knees, heels, feet are cold, then, in addition to diseases, this phenomenon can be caused by such factors:

  • smoking;
  • hypodynamia;
  • eating disorders;
  • diabetes;
  • nerve diseases.

If the limbs are constantly chilly, certain measures must be taken to feel comfortable. First you need to apply the simplest methods that will help warm your feet. You need to put on wool socks, take a hot heating pad or a bottle of water, prepare a foot bath with mustard. All these methods will help to warm up quickly.

If a person regularly expresses complaints such as “I am constantly cold”, what to do depends on the diagnosis. But provided that no diseases were detected during the study, certain preventive measures must be taken.

It happens that the methods described above help for a short time, and a person does not know what to do if his feet and hands are cold. What to do in such cases? It is important to take long-term preventive measures by doing the following:

  • completely stop smoking;
  • always dress properly, and in cold weather avoid things that tightly pinch the lower body;
  • choose high-quality and warm shoes that should not be too big or tight;
  • try to avoid stressful situations and strong emotional stress;
  • constantly practice physical activity - do exercises, run, swim;
  • consume more protein foods, also include in the menu a variety of spicy seasonings, spices that have a warming effect on the body;
  • do not drink too strong tea or coffee, preferring herbal teas with lemon balm mint, valerian.

If a person not only has cold feet, but also sweats, he needs to regularly take warm foot baths, adding mustard or sea salt to them.

To prepare a warming bath with salt, you need to dissolve pharmacy sea salt in hot water - two tablespoons and two tablespoons of milk. After the bath, immediately put on woolen socks.

Those who spend time at the workplace standing up during the day should take baths in the evening, adding mustard to hot water. This procedure helps to activate blood circulation, remove puffiness .

If signs of freezing of the feet appear, massage should be done immediately. To do this, they actively rub the sole of each leg in turn, massage the fingers. If possible, preheat your socks and put them on immediately after the warming massage.

Another effective procedure is suitable for those who do not suffer. It is necessary to prepare two containers - one with cold, the second with hot water. First, the legs are dipped in warm water for 10 minutes, then they are dipped in cold water for the same time. You need to change the containers until the warm water cools down. Finish this procedure by immersion in cold water.

How to warm your feet - folk recipes

If a person has constantly cold feet due to a certain disease, the doctor should determine the causes and treatment. But if you need to warm icy feet frozen in the cold, you can use one of the folk methods, of which there are a lot.

Cold feet can be removed using the methods described below.

Compress with alcohol

For such a compress, it is necessary to moisten the bottom of warm socks with alcohol and put on these socks after the feet have been warmed up in warm water. You need to put on another pair of socks upstairs. After that, even at a temperature that is not too high, the legs will warm up well for several minutes.

Pepper

Hot ground pepper warms the skin well if applied to the feet. Pepper causes skin irritation, but this is temporary. Therefore, if the question is relevant for a person, why the legs are cold all the time, in cold winter weather, you can pour hot pepper into your socks before going out into the cold.

mistletoe leaves

You need to grind dry mistletoe leaves and pour a teaspoon of this mixture with a glass of boiling water. After insisting throughout the night, the infusion should be drunk before meals, 2 tbsp. l. You need to drink mistletoe for several months. Mistletoe tincture normalizes heart pressure, soothes.

Sophora fruits or flowers

50 g of Sophora fruits or flowers should be poured with half a liter of vodka and insisted for one month. Tincture is drunk three times a day for 1 tsp. within four months.

Gymnastic exercises

With the help of physical exercises, you can significantly warm the limbs. There is a whole range of special exercises for warming the legs.

shaking

When alternately shaking the legs, vibration affects the capillaries. The vessels then contract and the blood flow is activated. You should lie on your back on a hard surface, raise your legs and arms so that they form an angle of 90 degrees with the body. In this position, you need to shake your arms and legs for 1-2 minutes.

Reeds in the wind

This exercise is done while lying on your stomach. It is necessary to relax the limbs, bend the legs at the knees. At the same time, one should imagine that this is a reed fluttering in the wind. In this case, the legs should periodically touch the pelvis.

Massage with walnuts

With this exercise, you can effectively activate blood flow, relieve fatigue and stress. Between the palms you need to place 2-3 walnuts and rotate them for several minutes. In this case, a certain effort should be made so that the nuts are pressed tightly against the palms. Next, the exercise is repeated with the feet. This massage is done in the morning and in the evening.

conclusions

If such methods do not help or are effective only for a short time, the causes of cold hands and feet are obviously related to diseases, and a doctor should look for them. To determine why the hands are constantly cold and the feet are cold, the doctor will be able to conduct the necessary research. At the appointment, the doctor asks about complaints, conducts an examination, sends the patient for laboratory tests. Sometimes an ECG, ultrasound of the vessels of the legs, consultation of a vascular surgeon, endocrinologist, neuropathologist is required. Once diagnosed, your doctor will prescribe treatment to fix the problem or reduce symptoms.

The great commander Suvorov recommended that his soldiers keep their feet warm. His advice is worth listening to in our time. It is noteworthy that the chilled limbs do not allow the whole body to warm up. Well, general hypothermia is fraught with dangerous consequences, starting with a banal cold and ending with chronic infections.

Causes of cold feet

The main factor that provokes freezing of the feet is wearing inappropriate shoes in the winter season. Boots or shoes should be made of genuine leather or suede and have a fur lining or a membrane system for keeping warm. In addition, they must be suitable in size, since in warm but tight boots the vessels are pinched, blood microcirculation is disturbed, and the legs freeze.

Other causes include underdeveloped muscles and circulatory disorders in the feet due to chronic diseases. There is practically no fat layer on the feet, which also contributes to their freezing. In addition, the legs do not withstand the test of nylon tights in frosty weather.

Consequences

Cold feet not only cause severe discomfort. There are many biologically active points on the feet, which are responsible for almost all body systems. Therefore, hypothermia can lead to the development of the following diseases:

  • Acute respiratory viral infections. There is a connection between hypothermia of the feet and respiratory diseases. People with reduced immunity are at risk of catching a cold or suffering from a serious viral infection. In this case, a runny nose appears first. Regular hypothermia threatens with sinusitis, bronchitis and persistent tonsillitis.
  • Joint diseases. If you have already had diseases of the musculoskeletal system, then freezing of the legs can lead to an exacerbation of chronic processes and an increase in symptoms. In addition, this condition can provoke the development of rheumatism, osteochondrosis, arthritis or neuritis.
  • Diseases of the urinary system. Cold feet damage the kidneys and bladder. It is during the frosty season that the peak incidence of pyelonephritis and cystitis falls.

Prevention

Choose shoes that are a size larger than usual so that you can wear warm socks. In addition, in this case, there will be a free space filled with air between the foot and the boot. It is this air cushion that provides full heat retention. It has been noticed that metal elements increase the risk of freezing, so it is better to refuse shoes with a similar decor. Do not forget also that it is better to choose socks and tights from natural fabrics (cotton or wool).

For the winter, get warm insoles, just keep in mind that they need to be dried after wearing. At work, there are replaceable shoes, and if the room is hot, then the feet will not sweat before going outside. In addition, you can carry an extra pair of cotton or wool socks with you. We do not advise you to have a smoke break on the street, this disrupts the microcirculation of blood throughout the body, including the feet, which instantly become cold.

What to do if your feet are cold

When the legs are cold and have lost sensitivity, you need to quickly go to any warm room - a store, an entrance. To warm up, you can jump, stomp on the spot or make swings with a large amplitude with your feet (30-40 times). These simple exercises will help improve blood circulation.

When you get home, take off your shoes and cold socks. Rub your feet with your hands, make intense massage movements that will help disperse the blood. After that, you can do a foot bath or take a shower if you feel general hypothermia. In the first case, do not immediately collect hot water, the temperature must be increased gradually, starting from 28-30 ° C. Next, you need to thoroughly dry your feet with a towel and put on warm socks.

To prevent the development of a cold, you should drink any warming drink (tea, milk, cocoa). We do not recommend basking with coffee or alcohol, because this is bad for the state of blood vessels. Add ginger, honey or cinnamon to tea, these products have a warming effect and increase immunity.

Many of us notice that some people are forced to walk in socks not only in winter, but also in the warm season, and the weather with temperatures below +25 ⁰С is already considered cold by them. Measures for the total warming of the legs are taken by those who suffer from constant freezing of the feet. There are many factors for the occurrence of such an unpleasant manifestation, and it can be difficult to understand which of them is the initial one without the participation of a doctor. Our article will help you understand the causes of constant freezing of the lower extremities. Indeed, in order to effectively combat such an unpleasant symptom, you need to know what provokes its occurrence.

Why the causes of cold feet can be different in men and women

Features of the functioning of the female body cause the chilliness of the legs of many women, even in warm weather.

The root cause of freezing of the lower extremities are malfunctions in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. This system of our body is equally arranged in both sexes. However, its functioning occurs in different ways, as it is influenced by different factors:

  • the predominance of certain sex hormones;
  • metabolic rate;
  • muscle and adipose tissue volume.

It is these differences that explain the fact that it is the fair sex that are more likely to freeze their feet even in warm weather. Indeed, in most of them, metabolic processes are slower, and the amount of adipose and muscle tissue that produces heat is less than in men.

There are two more reasons why the stronger sex is less prone to freezing feet:

  1. First, the woman's body is "programmed" for the birth of a child, and all resources are directed to "heating" the reproductive system.
  2. The second - the fair sex is more emotional, in a stressful situation, an additional portion of adrenaline enters their body, which provokes a violation of the normal blood flow in the limbs (arms and legs).

Why do feet freeze

To answer this question, one should observe whether the feet become cold periodically or constantly, what circumstances accompany the occurrence of this unpleasant manifestation.

Usually feet freeze due to the following reasons:

  • uncomfortable shoes (small in size or narrow) - causes squeezing of blood vessels, blood circulation becomes insufficient;
  • clothing squeezing the soft tissues of the legs - synthetic tights, socks may be too narrow, in addition, they are not able to retain heat (especially in the cold season);
  • insufficient amount of adipose tissue - the absence of such a layer contributes to the release of heat, and not its accumulation;
  • violation of capillary circulation - excessive fragility or narrowing of these smallest vessels can significantly disrupt blood circulation in the feet;
  • previously transferred - after such an injury, capillary circulation becomes insufficient due to damage to the walls of blood vessels with low temperature;
  • abnormal structure of blood vessels, local disturbance of blood flow, frequent spasms of blood vessels - such diagnoses can only be detected after examination - with these pathologies, blood circulation in the feet is often significantly impaired;
  • decreased thyroid function - with insufficient production of thyroid hormones (), the body receives less energy due to a slowdown in metabolic processes, as a result of which a person often feels chilly;
  • - this is an endocrine disease with a severe, prolonged course leads to a violation of the structure, functioning of blood vessels and nerve endings, which causes a violation of blood circulation in the feet and other parts of the legs;
  • neglected forms - salts accumulating on the vertebrae compress the nerves responsible for stable blood circulation, as a result, the patient begins to go numb, chill the limbs;
  • thickening of the blood and a violation of the water balance - thick blood cannot be transported normally through the vessels, blood circulation in the limbs becomes insufficient;
  • jumps in blood pressure - both lead to a violation of vascular tone, pressure surges cause disturbances in the blood flow;
  • - an imbalance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system leads to the development of tachycardia, the occurrence of jumps in blood pressure, feelings of anxiety and fear, pain in the heart, nausea, as a result, the patient (more often in women with an asthenic physique or persons 16-35 years old) is ejected adrenaline, which provokes vasospasm and circulatory disorders;
  • smoking - nicotine addiction causes vasospasm, disrupts blood flow not only in the arteries and veins of the legs, but throughout the entire vascular system;
  • - often with low mobility (for example, sitting at a computer or watching TV for 6-10 hours), blood flow slows down significantly not only to the legs, but also to all internal organs;
  • - with this disease, the tissues of the body begin to suffer due to oxygen starvation, the vessels receive less oxygen, their functioning is disrupted;
  • taking certain medications - taking drugs based on ergot and beta-blockers (Propranolol, Anaprilin, Atenolol) provokes spasm of peripheral vessels;
  • - worms living in the body produce toxins that have a negative effect on blood flow;
  • allergic reactions - patients with more often than other people suffer from peripheral circulatory disorders and feel freezing of the feet.

An analysis of the causes of chilly legs indicates the fact that not all causes of such unpleasant sensations are harmless and can be eliminated without the participation of a doctor. A person is able to quit smoking or reduce the number of cigarettes smoked to a minimum, choose comfortable warm clothes and shoes, and minimize stressful situations. However, a number of diseases, a symptom of which is frequent freezing of the legs, can only be eliminated with the help of a doctor after a comprehensive diagnosis.

When to See a Doctor

A visit to the doctor is necessary in cases where chilly feet are accompanied by:

  • tingling or numbness;
  • a change in the tone of the skin (for example, the appearance of cyanosis);
  • deterioration in general well-being;
  • fragility of the nail plates;
  • greasiness of hair;
  • increased or decreased heart rate;
  • decrease in body temperature;
  • swelling of the feet;
  • freezing feet even in warm weather.

In such cases, a comprehensive examination and treatment by a specialized specialist will be required.

How to get rid of cold feet


Quitting smoking and drinking alcohol helps to normalize the blood supply to the lower extremities, which prevents them from freezing.
  1. Dress for the weather, choose only comfortable shoes and give preference to the choice of clothing made from natural fabrics. Shoes should not let water through. A warm insole made of natural materials (or a thermal insole) should be placed in it. At home, it is better to wear warm slippers and socks. Clothing should not squeeze the legs, waist, hips.
  2. Stop smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
  3. Reduce your intake of caffeinated beverages that constrict blood vessels.
  4. Ensure sufficient physical activity, exercise and sports. Walk more, walk in the fresh air. If you work in an office, then remember to get up from your desk or computer every hour. Regular exercise or sports will help strengthen the cardiovascular system.
  5. Improve your daily diet by including more fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, juices, lean fish and meat dishes, dairy products. In food, if there are no contraindications, you can add the so-called warming spices: mustard, red and black pepper, ginger, garlic, spicy curry, horseradish. In cold weather, it is better to eat fatty fish dishes more often: pangasius, salmon, mackerel. Products included in the diet should contain a high level of vitamins C, PP, E and P (bioflavonoids). With anemia, the use of pomegranates, liver, almonds, buckwheat, raisins, carrot juice will help to raise the level of hemoglobin.
  6. Take sedative herbal teas from hawthorn, lemon balm, peppermint, valerian, motherwort. Before compiling such herbal teas, you should make sure that there are no contraindications to taking this or that medicinal plant.
  7. Observe the drinking regime. A day should drink such a volume of liquid that ensures normal blood flow - 30 ml per 1 kg of weight. In addition, the normal filling of the bloodstream will help improve blood circulation.
  8. Engage in hardening, if these procedures are not contraindicated for health reasons. The most suitable time for these events will be spring and summer. You can start with air baths, rubdowns with cool water. After that, you can douse yourself with cold water - its temperature should decrease gradually. Such measures will improve the tone of the vascular walls and raise immunity in general.
  9. Regularly do a warm-up for the legs and arms. Such exercises significantly improve blood circulation, eliminate the feeling of chilliness. Self-massage sessions will effectively complement the exercise.
  10. In the absence of contraindications, visit the sauna or bath once a week. If this is not possible, then a daily contrast shower (or foot and hand baths) will help replace these procedures.
  11. Give up the habit of sitting with your legs crossed. This posture contributes to a significant clamping of blood vessels and circulatory disorders not only in the feet, but also in the lower extremities as a whole.
  12. Use warming gels and ointments for the legs. Such funds can be purchased at a pharmacy or prepared independently.

What to do if your feet are already cold

To warm up the feet, you can carry out the following activities:

  1. Take a warm bath. At the same time, at the beginning of this procedure, the water temperature should be about 22-25 ⁰С, and at the end - about 40-42 ⁰С. You can add dry mustard to the water. After that, warm socks should be put on the feet, and if the feet are very cold, make an alcohol compress.
  2. Drink a cup of very warm tea, milk, or a drink with ginger and honey (these ingredients can also be added to tea or milk). You can replace such drinks with herbal tea from 1 teaspoon of sage, mint, valerian root, bay leaf, mint, chamomile, 2 clove inflorescences, a piece of ginger, a pinch of coriander and black pepper. The components should be poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted for an hour. Strain and drink like tea.
  3. Lubricate the legs with a warming ointment. Such a remedy can be prepared from any inert cream and camphor, rosemary or sesame essential oils, red pepper extract or cocoa butter. Mix two of these components (optional) with cream (Vaseline can replace it). Apply the product on clean, dry skin of the feet. After that, put on woolen socks.

The warming cream or ointment can be replaced with red pepper tincture, which is very easy to make at home. In a glass container, mix a glass of vodka and 2 teaspoons of ground red pepper. After this, the remedy is infused for 10 days. It can be used as a foot rub before bed. Before using the tincture, be sure to make sure that there are no allergic reactions and hypersensitivity of the skin. Such a remedy for warming the legs is not recommended for children - their skin is too delicate, burns can remain on it from red pepper.

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

But it happens that the desire to look good outweighs the need to keep your feet warm, and on a cold autumn evening you go outside in thin tights or thin socks, narrow-toed shoes or boots. Very quickly, your feet freeze so that all thoughts are directed only to getting to a warm place as soon as possible and warming them up.

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

1. Dip 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 with a blanket.

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

1. Rub the 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 one is fine, even with pepper or alcohol), put on your feet.

3. Put on coarse woolen socks on top. You will feel a surge of warmth immediately.

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

Or maybe you want to hold stiff legs in a fragrant bath? To fulfill such a whim, the presence of: sea salt, lavender or rosemary oil, half a glass of milk is required. To three tablespoons of sea salt, add 1 teaspoon of butter, milk, pour it all into hot water and soak your frozen feet. Oh, how grateful they will be to you - they will not only keep warm, but also get food!

And if you suffer from freezing feet, not only in cold weather, what to do in this case? First of all, you need to observe yourself and find out what other symptoms appear with cold feet. 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 there are 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 start varicose veins.

Feet may freeze with violations in the work of the heart. If you are climbing stairs, and you have shortness of breath, if you notice swelling of the feet after taking liquids, make an appointment with a cardiologist and do an electrocardiogram. It would be nice to take a blood test and conduct an ultrasound examination of the vessels of the legs.

Do not be afraid ahead of time if your feet get cold not only in cold weather - this can happen to you due to the structural features of your body. Remember! Smoking and alcohol abuse are bad for your blood vessels. Try to keep these troubles in your priceless life as little as possible.

Take daily contrast showers and massage your feet. Before going outside in cold weather, lubricate your favorite legs with badger or mink fat. Take care of yourself, temper yourself, and may health accompany you.