How to Keep Your Hands and Feet Warm in Winter

According to SAEDNEWS, winter may lose its charm if your hands and feet are constantly cold. In this article, we share tips to help you keep your hands and feet warm.

Why Do Hands and Feet Get Cold?

If you often rub your hands together to warm them or find that your toes are colder than other parts of your body, don't worry. The reason hands and feet get cold in winter is that the body prioritizes keeping vital organs like the heart and lungs warm, which reduces blood flow to other extremities like hands and feet. These areas lose more heat to the cold air. Hands and feet, along with ears, have more thermoreceptors that divert blood flow back to the body's core.

Eat Heart-Healthy Foods

One way to warm these extremities is by improving blood circulation and eating heart-healthy foods. Include healthy foods like fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, fruits, and vegetables in your diet. These foods work wonders for blood circulation. Heart-healthy foods that boost blood flow include salmon, berries, walnuts, low-fat yogurt, bananas, dark chocolate, grains, and olive oil.

Wear Socks to Bed

Wear socks when you go to bed, as they can act like a blanket for your toes. Even the healthiest individuals may need some help staying warm in cold winter days, and socks can do the trick. Use wool socks or slippers for extra warmth.

Use the Right Gloves

Instead of regular gloves that you have to remove for tasks, use proper gloves that keep you warm and don't hinder you. Wool gloves can keep your hands warm without bulk. If you want to use a touchscreen device, opt for special gloves that allow you to operate touchscreens without taking them off.

Use Heating Tools

When indoors, warm your hands by staying near heaters or radiators. When outside, heating tools can help keep you warm. Though unconventional, you can use heated gloves or small portable rechargeable heaters to stay warm if you struggle with the cold.

Add Spices to Your Diet

Add some spices to your winter meals to improve their flavor and keep yourself warm. Some spices are known for their warming properties. Black pepper, cinnamon, red pepper powder, cardamom, ginger, mustard root, and garlic are among the top warming spices.

Drink Warm Beverages

Drinking warm beverages like tea throughout the day is beneficial, as they can have a lasting effect on body heat. Warm beverages, such as various teas, boost metabolism and contain antioxidants. Some experts also recommend bone broth, not just for its warming properties but for its richness in magnesium and collagen, which are good for muscles and skin. Holding a warm cup can simply heat your fingers, especially when you're outside.

Exercise

Have you ever entered a gym shivering from the cold and left sweating from the heat? Exercise, even simple movements, can improve blood circulation, which raises body temperature. Swinging your arms in a circular motion can help send blood to your fingertips, warming them.

When It Gets Serious

If these tips don't keep you warm, you might suffer from Raynaud's disease, which affects about 20% of women. In Raynaud's disease, fingers may turn white and then blue, become numb, and sometimes develop sores. Treatment may include medication to dilate blood vessels. Being prone to cold can also indicate more serious health issues like lupus, scleroderma, or peripheral artery disease. If you notice symptoms like brittle hair, fatigue, and swelling that coincide with cold hands and feet, seek medical attention promptly.