Estrogen can lower women's body temperature, cause heat to dissipate and slow blood flow to the hands and feet, making them more sensitive to cold.
But the hormone oestrogen also has a big impact because it has the side effect of thickening the blood slightly. This reduces blood flow to the tiny capillaries supplying the extremities. A 1998 study at the University of Utah found that this can mean women have hands, feet and ears that are 3°C colder than a man's.
Compared to men, women have less muscle, which is a natural heat producer. They also have 6 to 11 percent more body fat than men, which keeps the inner organs toasty, but blocks the flow of blood carrying heat to the skin and extremities.
Poor circulation is one of the most common causes of cold feet. When the temperature outside drops, your body works to keep your core warm. As a result, your blood vessels in your extremities constrict to limit circulation to the core part of your body.
Women have more body fat and less muscle than men. The fat protects the vital organs, including the uterus, but it also restricts blood flow to the extremities. Women also tend to lose heat faster from their skin because they're generally smaller than men.
Why are so many women prone to cold feet in bed? Turns out there isn't just one reason for our chilled extremities. For starters, our fat layers are more evenly distributed than men's, and as a result, our blood supply is focused on protecting our core organs rather than our extremities.
“Basically, men generate their own little heat islands, kind of like walking space heaters,” Dr. Danoff says. “But since women typically have less muscle mass and evaporate less heat through the pores in their skin, they might feel colder than men in a room with the same air temperature.”
The Estrogen Connection
Some studies suggest that estrogen levels are responsible for cold hands and feet in women. This may be one of the main reasons that women typically suffer from this problem more commonly than their male counterparts.
Poor circulation
This is one of the most common causes of cold feet. Poor circulation can make it difficult for enough warm blood to get to your feet regularly, keeping them cooler than the rest of your body.
The main medical problems that cause cold feet are decreased circulation in the extremities and nerve damage, known as neuropathy. One cause of decreased circulation is atherosclerosis, where arteries are narrowed by fatty deposits and impede blood flow in the limbs.
Different parts of our body have different temperatures, with the rectum being the warmest (37℃), followed by the ears, urine and the mouth. The armpit (35.9℃) is the coldest part of our body that is usually measured.
Women have higher core body temperatures than men.
A study done by the University of Maryland School of Medicine published in the JAMA Network found that while body temperature does vary from person to person, day to day, women's body temperatures were consistently higher than their male counterparts'.
The researchers write, "We propose that males and females feel temperature differently. This is a built-in evolutionary difference between the heat-sensing systems of the two sexes, which is related, among other things, to the reproduction process and caring for offspring." The study was led by Dr. Eran Levin and Dr.
Peripheral neuropathies (nerve damage) are the most common cause of hot feet. Neuropathies have many possible causes, including diabetes, alcohol misuse, and infections. Treating the underlying cause of nerve damage can help relieve hot or burning feet.
Results: Men have longer and broader feet than women for a given stature. After normalization of the measurements by foot length, men and women were found to differ significantly in two calf, five ankle, and four foot shape variables. Classification by gender using absolute values was correct at least 93% of the time.
Using thermal imaging, University of Utah researchers found women's hands are colder than men's. Specifically, their findings quantified that “women's hands typically run 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit colder than men's.” The research is published in a December 2017 article in Medical Press Magazine.
“There may be an increased risk of skin infection, especially if the socks used are made of synthetic material like nylon. Body temperature can rise due to excessive use of socks,” he said.
Research suggests that wearing socks to bed can help people not only fall asleep faster, but sleep longer and wake up fewer times throughout the night. One study found that young men wearing socks fell asleep 7.5 minutes faster, slept 32 minutes longer, and woke up 7.5 times less often than those not wearing socks.
Iron Deficiencies
Iron deficiency can cause anemia (a decreased level of hemoglobin in your red blood cells), and lead to symptoms like fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and chronic cold feet.
Irregular periods, hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, and headaches can all be signs of low levels of the hormone estrogen in women. The most common cause of low estrogen is perimenopause, your body's transition into menopause, but other factors can be involved.
Signs & Symptoms of Low Estrogen
Weight gain. Thinning hair. Dry skin/lips. Vaginal dryness (which may make sexual intercourse painful)
For starters, men tend to run hotter than women as a result of having more muscle mass, which generates more heat than fat. "Body temperature is a reflection of metabolic rate — if somebody pushes a lot of weights they will push their basal metabolic rate up and run hot," Professor Dawson told 9Honey Coach.
Environmental and lifestyle factors, medications, age, hormones, and certain emotional states can all affect body temperature. However, a persistent feeling of being hot sometimes signals an underlying health condition. Depending on the cause, a person who feels hot may sweat excessively or not sweat at all.
There are many reasons a person blows hot and cold. It could be that they are not ready for a committed relationship; they don't know what they want; they are not sure what to do about their intense feelings for you; or they are emotionally unstable or unavailable.