Cold hands

[ARBlair]

Why do my hands become extremely cold in cold weather while my brothers stay warm?

[WendyW]

It all depends on your circulation .. it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong its just that people are different. So just as some people have dark hair and others light then some feel the cold more than others.

[wildwood]

One possibility; boys/men almost instinctively stick their hands in their pockets when it is cold, so have better circulation for a while after they take them out. When an extremity such as a hand or foot gets cold, the body appears to automatically slow down the circulation to that part to conserve energy.

[Hamish]

Smoking is known to result in poor circulation. Do you smoke and you brother not? (only a possability) Or perhapse your brother is much larger than you. Heat is lost through the surface of the body but produced by every cell. A large person will therefore lose a smaller percentage of heat per unit of time. This is the effect of a small surface area to volume ratio.

[ARBlair]

I dont smoke but my brother is alot bigger than me. Does having bad circulation like this mean that I am more suceptable to frost bite in an extreme cold situation? Logic suggests so. Are there any other physical effects from this? and what can I do to improve my circulation?

[DavidUK]

My wife has Raynaud's Disease, which causes symptoms of cold feet, hands etc. 95% of sufferers are women and it is estimated that 20% of women of child bearing age have it to some degree. It took my wife two years of battling with the medical profession before the pains in her legs were diganosed as Raynauds. I'm not saying, of course, that you do have Raynauds, but it may be worth you having a look at the Raynaud's Association website at www.raynauds.org/ for more info. Even if you do have it, it's not necessarily a big problem if you have only mild effects. Good luck!

[Hamish]

ARBlair, my point about bad circularion only applies if you smoke (or have some other problem with your circulation). If your brother is much bigger than you it is just a case of how quickly he looses heat compared to you (you will loss it more quickly) .... Try this experiment, fill a large mug with hot water and then fill an egg cup with the water at the same temperature, which cools quiker? (It'll be the egg cup) the same is happening to you and your brother. In order to make a better comparison in order to decide wether you have a problem with your circulartion compare how hot your hands are to someone of similar height and weight (and preferably dressed to the same extent).

I am much larger then my spouse and they often have cold hands when I feel fine but there is nothing wrong with their circulation.

Hope this helps Hamish