Would gloves or a belly warmer help?

Now that I'm inside, my fingers will slowly return to normal. I like to wrap my hands around a cup of hot water, which doesn't really help but feels nice anyway.

I'd never heard of this... sounds uncomfortable! Maybe some Chinese exercise balls would help the blood flow in your hands?

≡ Click to see image ≡

I have a couple of these that I use to avoid carpal tunnel.

Remember the hiker's rule -- Cold feet? Put on a hat.

Your body tries to be clever, and thinks OMG COLD SAVE BRAINZ!!!1! whenever your thermal budget reaches a certain point. So, the first things that start to lose blood flow (thus, heat) are the hands and feet, followed by the arms and legs. Fingers really lose -- they're long and thin, thus, lots of surface area, little volume. They're little radiators, and when the blood is limited, they chill fast.

Your brain is special. (aww. Cute brain.) After the arms and legs, the next hunk of flesh stuck out of the core is your head. Shutting down bloodflow to the head, though, means Brain dies. Brain does not like this, so the bloodflow to your head is never constricted by cold (until you're so cold that the heart stops, but that's a degenerate case.)

Add in that Brain is hungry, and demands lots of blood.

End result? 40% of your body's heat loss is through the head.

My brain is indeed cute, thank you very much. :) Unfortunately, wearing a hat, or even a hat and then a hooded scarf over that as I often do (plus earmuffs), does nothing to prevent this from happening. Perhaps I need a heated hat.

What about those little clicker handwarmers? Have you tried those?

Hope you feel better soon JanteLand:)
How long have you been suffering from this??

JanetLand--sorry!

Yeah, the clicky handwarmers are way cute, but they don't help. Basically, when I go out into the cold, no matter how warmly dressed, my body reacts and the blood vessels contract. Here's another medically page on it. I wondered for years, since my late 20s at least, maybe longer, why other people's fingers and toes didn't seem to get as cold and painful as mine did. But, fingers all better now, until the next time!

No fun for sure. My wife has it too, so I have some idea what you're going through.

If getting swathed in winter gear doesn't help, it sounds like your mind prepares for the worst and automatically freezes once stepping outside, even though you're still warm.

To reset the brain...

What about this product:battery operated heat pad

Hopefully it can be adjusted so you don't sweat while outdoors, because that is really bad, but mittens and hats only save the heat temporarily and soon the cold gets to you.

Doesn't sound like much fun.

Getting a ton of exercize¿ as the site promotes for better circulation¿ Smoking how many packs a day¿

Time to move to Arizona./

alicesshoe: that's pretty much the reason Mrs. Doohickie and I moved to Texas. although with today's weather (30 degrees and snowing), that's not much help.

If only that fabulous job in Hawaii would come through . . . .

I have that too - and I hadn't realised that I've not seen my fingers turn white in ages until I read that pregnancy (temporarily) stops it over there in the wiki - holy hell, it did! Cool! Solution: always be knocked up in winter. Uhm.. hang on that might be a little troublesome. ;)

Now THERE's something nobody's ever suggested for it!

janet, my sister had that when she was a teenager. She says it comes back once in a while. Has something to do with hormones which her doctor regulated YMMV.

Doohickie, Yes I heard Texas is getting some of our weather. No where to run, California is getting it good too. Maybe the Arctic will warm up and palm trees will start growing....


Getting permanently pregnant may work till the first time you bear sextuplets. oops.

Look forward to a lifetime of virtually no-one knowing what it is and everyone you explain it to chipping in helpfully with "well, duh, keep warm!"

It is a very poorly understood, and potentially vicious, illness. I hope you're able to treat it & cope with it as well as possible.