Feeling cold when cold weather continues is a natural physiological phenomenon. Not only the weather but also hunger, lack of sleep, and various factors such as poor physical condition can cause a feeling of cold as a temporary symptom. But in addition to these factors, there are some people who feel the cold a lot more than other people. This phenomenon is caused by the inability to retain heat in the body, and it can be said that it is a phenomenon that is affected by various factors such as various lifestyles and constitution. In addition, it is important to understand the cause and manage it carefully because the cold felt more severe than others is also related to the onset of certain diseases. So today, let’s take a look at the reasons why people get cold a lot. Why is it so cold
1. Thyroid dysfunction
The first reason to feel very cold can be said to be a malfunction of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is an endocrine organ located in front of the larynx and trachea. It is responsible for secreting thyroid hormone that makes energy necessary for human tissues and calcitonin, which is involved in blood calcium levels by acting on bones and kidneys. Thyroid hormone, in particular, is responsible for maintaining body temperature and maintaining the balance of body metabolism. When the thyroid function is lowered, there is a problem with the secretion of thyroid hormones, which impairs metabolism and blood circulation, leading to a lot of cold. Therefore, if you suddenly feel a lot of cold, or if you experience various symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, constipation, and edema, you may have a thyroid-related disease.
2. Less momentum
Muscles composed of muscle cells are known to play an essential role in maintaining body temperature homeostasis by generating heat as an effect involved in glucose metabolism. It is known that more than 50% of the heat in our body is generated in the muscles, and most of the muscles are occupied by the lower body muscles such as the thighs and buttocks. Therefore, when the muscles are insufficient, the capillaries distributed in the muscles do not work well, and the body temperature decreases by making the supply of oxygen and nutrients necessary for the body insufficient. In particular, if you are underweight and have low muscle mass, you will have more problems with caloric production through your muscles and will get colder more. Therefore, it is important to consume enough essential nutrients, such as protein and amino acids, which are important for the creation and maintenance of muscles, so that they do not become deficient, and it is important to prevent muscle loss through aerobic and strength training. In addition, it is recommended to be careful about dieting that is excessive for a short period of time because when you are trying to lose weight forcibly, you will lose not only weight but also muscle.
3. Obesity
Fat provides the energy necessary to maintain body temperature, so it is easy to think that if you are overweight or obese with a lot of fat stored in your body, you will not get cold easily. However, in the case of obesity, resting metabolism, which is the minimum amount of energy required for maintaining body homeostasis and autonomic nervous system activity, decreases, and symptoms such as body temperature drop may occur. In particular, if you have severe abdominal obesity, where the accumulation of visceral fat in your abdomen is excessive, you will feel the cold more because heat is taken from the extremity tissues of the arms, shoulders, and legs that are lacking in fat.
4. Depression
Depression, which is a type of mood disorder in which major symptoms such as depression and low motivation appear, is also said to cause a lot of cold. When depression persists, the secretion of serotonin, which gives a feeling of happiness and stability, decreases. Because serotonin is known as a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in maintaining body temperature homeostasis, people with depression feel more cold than those without.
5. Undernutrition
Nutrients that are absorbed into the body through diet play an essential role in the production of energy required for normal metabolism. In particular, as the weather gets colder, more energy is needed to maintain body temperature, and a balanced diet containing various nutrients becomes more important. However, late-night eating and binge eating habits, such as eating only at night or eating excessive amounts at one time, are said to cause the body to feel colder throughout the body as blood rushes to the stomach and is not properly supplied to other parts of the body. In addition, if you eat mostly watery, cold, and low-calorie foods, you will become sensitive to cold because of poor heat.
other reasons
In addition to the various reasons mentioned above, insufficient sleep time is also said to be the cause of feeling a lot of cold. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body’s normal metabolism will be affected, and this will increase the intensity of the cold. In addition, careful management and treatment are important because it is known that strong cold can occur even when anemia and Raynaud’s syndrome occur.