My dad’s number one complaint during cold weather isn’t his icy car windshield or his expensive heating bills—it’s my mom’s feet. They’re like icicles come wintertime, and she loves putting them on unsuspecting exposed skin. Eventually she stopped bestowing her “gift” on me, though, because I was able to retaliate with my own chilly hands and feet. Because cold extremities seem to run in my family, I assumed they were some kind of hereditary curse. But freezing feet and hands are actually the body’s way of protecting itself. What we really need to consider is what’s causing that need for protection.

First Line of Defense
When temperatures drop, it’s not uncommon for people to experience cold hands, feet, ears, and noses. That’s because keeping our vital organs warm is our bodies’ main goal when it’s cold outside. As chilly weather lowers our body temperature, our brains make the blood vessels in our extremities constrict, lessening the amount of blood flowing through these regions and increasing blood and heat flow to more essential areas. The process protects what’s most important for our survival, but it also results in frigid fingers and toes.

Factors That Increase the Frost
While getting icy extremities is a natural bodily response, it happens to some people more often and more extremely, and for a variety of reasons. It could be a case of poor circulation or a side effect of prescription drugs (painkillers and blood pressure medication are potential culprits), but other factors can come into play as well. Women and people who live in colder parts of the world are more likely to experience this condition. Cigarette smoke—even the secondhand kind—and caffeine also constrict blood vessels. However, cold extremities might indicate a more serious issue.

Stress
It might seem surprising that anxiety makes us colder, but it’s all a part of our bodies’ adaptive fight-or-flight response. When we feel we’re under attack (either physically or emotionally), our bodies produce adrenaline to prep us for battle. They also draw blood away from the surface of the skin, in anticipation of wounds, and send it to the heart, lungs, and liver. This process makes us ready for self-defense, albeit with chilly ears or hands.

Raynaud’s Disease
For people with this condition, the slightest amount of stress or a little drop in temperature will make their fingers and toes turn white or slightly bluish. It’s quite painful while it lasts and can range in severity, depending on the person. When the body temperature returns to normal, blood rushes to the extremities and they become noticeably flushed.

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