Multiple sclerosis (MS) can make it harder for the body to regulate temperature, leading to heat and cold sensitivity. Learn more about this common symptom of MS and how to manage it.
Cold can also be a problem
Some people with MS notice that symptoms, particularly spasticity, become worse in cold weather. It is generally recommended that people with MS who are sensitive to temperature try to avoid extremes of either hot or cold.
Temperature changes can have an impact upon some symptoms experienced by people with MS. Colder temperatures can have an effect on nerves and muscle activity, leading to pain and mobility challenges including cramping, stiffness and spasticity.
Heat sensitivity or Uhthoff's phenomenon occurs in 60–80% of MS patients [1], where increases in core body temperature as little as ~ 0.5°C can trigger temporary symptoms worsening.
Research has shown that maintaining enough vitamin D in the body may lower the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Several studies have shown that people who get more sun exposure and vitamin D in their diets are less likely to have MS .
It is very common for people living with MS to experience worsening symptoms during humid or warm weather, especially double vision.
The brain helps regulate body temperature in hot and cold environments. Multiple sclerosis (MS) can make it harder for the body to regulate temperature, leading to heat and cold sensitivity.
Multiple Sclerosis cold chills
The chills can be constant and can last from several minutes to an hour. Your body may be using the chills to boost its core temperature, so although you may feel cold, your body temperature could be high (a rigor). Treatment will depend on whether your chills are accompanied by a fever.
Unsurprisingly, MS patients who incorporate cold showers into their daily routines report serious benefits such as regained feeling in body parts that had lost sensation, increased energy, and even recovery from MS related urinary difficulties.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) triggers that worsen symptoms or cause a relapse can include stress, heart disease and smoking. While some are easier to avoid than others, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall health and wellness can have outsized benefits for MS patients.
An MS hug could be triggered by fatigue, changes in temperature, eating a large meal, being unwell, or getting stressed. Not everyone finds what triggers their MS hug, but if you do, you might be able to avoid it or reduce it.
In many people with MS, being overheated slows down the messages passing along nerves, which have already been damaged by the loss of myelin and this gives rise to increased symptoms. In some cases, there's a lesion in a part of the brain that controls temperature regulation in the body.
When it's very cold, it's a good idea to wear hats, thick socks, or lined boots. This will keep heat from escaping through your head or feet. Keep your hands and feet warm. Doctors believe that MS can cause blood vessels in your hands and feet to overreact to cold temperatures.
Nail problems are common, and they are not usually serious. If a person has multiple sclerosis (MS), nail problems can cause pain or discomfort. While nail issues are not directly related to the disease, determining the cause may help prevent a person with MS from experiencing further discomfort.
Generally, we would be expecting the symptoms to have some kind of impact on your everyday functioning. If you are worse, number one, always check for infection. However, it's very common in MS to have a lot of ups and downs, good days and bad days, and that can be closely related to how fatigued you are.
Lesions in the brain may affect cognitive abilities. Some people with MS have trouble with memory, attention and concentration, multitasking and decision-making, says Dr. Scherz. The changes are usually mild at the beginning, but can be frustrating as time goes by.
your genes – MS isn't directly inherited, but people who are related to someone with the condition are more likely to develop it; the chance of a sibling or child of someone with MS also developing it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 in 100.
True flares gradually worsen over the course of hours, consist of new "negative symptoms" or loss of function (weakness, vision loss, gait impairment, numbness), and will typically last multiple days. Symptoms that are brief and transient (lasting less than 24 hours) are not consistent with a flare.
Erythromelalgia is a painful MS symptom that affects the feet. The feet may feel tight or swollen and have a burning sensation. Some remedies for hot feet include: wearing pressure socks.
MS is an immune-mediated disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, also called the central nervous system (CNS). MS can appear at any age but most commonly manifests between the ages of 20 and 40.
Despite having a similar core temperature to those without MS while resting and exercising, people with MS show a significantly reduced sweat response.