Apr
Cold hands and feet
Is there a connection between being tired and being cold?
Maybe you are just one of the many people who get cold easily. There is nothing worrisome about that. All you can do is continue to eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, get plenty of rest and, above all, dress warmly. But are you also often tired? Then read on quickly and find out what you can do about it.
Cold and tired, tired and cold
Do you get tired of being cold or do you get cold from being tired? The correct answer is: both! One is often accompanied by the other. Like sun with heat and snow with cold.
Your body is made to survive; your little factory is actually trying to protect you from cold and also trying to get you to sleep on time. Nice of your body, but you’re not waiting for those unpleasant consequences. By understanding how your body works, you can better give it what it needs. Listen to your body and your ailments will disappear like cold snow under the sun:
Getting cold from fatigue
You had a bad night’s sleep and the next day you are easily cold. Sound familiar? Congratulations, then your body is working completely properly. Two reasons why this is so:
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1. It is a trick of your body to help you find a warmer place. Making you retreat and take a nap.
Your body does not take your daily schedule into account, but wants to protect you and help you get your needed sleep. How exactly does that work?
When you are tired, blood flow in your skin increases. This seems contradictory, because you are actually shivering. Yet it is true. You see this in children with red cheeks and ears, for example. The heat inside your body is sent out through the skin, so your skin gets a few degrees warmer, but your brain actually sends cold signals. Why does your brain do this? It wants to prevent your body from hypothermia and this is how it tells you to seek your warm bed.
2. Another reason why you get cold faster when you are tired: your metabolism works a lot slower.
With a slow metabolism, fewer calories are burned. The less combustion takes place, the less heat is released. Resulting in a cold body.
Tip
So to bed on time, preferably around the same time every day. That way, your biological clock gets the least confused and your body knows around what time it needs to produce melatonin to help you fall asleep comfortably. Also, try to get up around the same time every day. When your body gets used to such a clear sleep rhythm, you are less likely to be awake at night.
Getting tired of the cold
Do you have a lot less energy in the winter and feel cold much faster than most people around you? Here’s how this comes about and what you can do about it:
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1. When it is cold outside, your body has to work extra hard to maintain its temperature.
This costs your body a lot of energy and often results in fatigue. So dress well when you go out or if you have turned down your heating a degree. Heated clothing can be a very good idea in this regard. Heated indoor gloves and heated socks can also keep your body comfortably warm.
2. As the days get shorter and colder, you get a lot less exposure to vitamin D (found in sunlight) than in summer.
After all, you prefer to stay indoors. And when you do go outside, you prefer to cover every exposed part of your body. With long trousers, a coat, gloves and a hat. So a vitamin D deficiency can easily build up in winter. How do you notice this? You often become weak and tired. Your muscles feel sore and you lack energy.
Foods high in vitamin D are oily fish and dairy. But if you want to get it right, it is wise to take extra vitamin D. This applies anyway to children under 4, people with a dark complexion, people who don’t get much sun, women over 50 and men over 70.
3. Because you tend to be less active in winter, your energy levels drop and you feel less fit and therefore more tired.
The general advice is to exercise your body moderately to intensely for at least 2.5 hours a week, spread over several days. Think not only about cardio exercises like running, but also muscle-strengthening exercises to keep you feeling powerful and fit. This will not only keep you warm, but also make you less tired.
did you know that...?
Men, on average, naturally have more muscle mass than women. This is one of the reasons why men are less likely to be cold than women?
