being cold is making me miserable - help!

[kennycat]

I am almost always really really cold. Now it is October I am looking down the barrel of at least 7 months of being debillitatingly cold. It makes me so down and miserable and I can't seem to do anything about it.
I've come away with the family and am so cold everywhere we go that I just can't enjoy myself.
I have never managed to find a coat/shoes/gloves/handwarmers that make me any less cold.
I really feel like I cannot do another UK Autumn and Winter every again but obviously emigrating is rather out of the question.

Any suggestions about how to be able to enjoy being with my family when the temperature drops below 20?

Acupuncture might be able to help. It could tune you up for the winter. It does things gp’s can’t

the first question is have you been to a doctor about this? There are various deficiencies that can lead to poor circulation/feeling cold - thyroid I think? Vitamin D maybe? I can't remember off the top of my head, but it's definitely a thing and for you to feel this below 20 means you're really very very sensitive to cold.

I have spent time in countries that are, arguably, colder. Weirdly, I didn't find it as bad. I can't quite work it out. is it to do with the damp here? the way our houses are heated or not heated? I'm not sure, but I suspect it's relevant.

I do think it's easier to stay warm than to warm up when you are already cold. So things like warm bath/shower, in a warm/heated bathroom, with a heated towel and then immediately getting dressed before you leave that room. Ditto electric blankets to pre warm the bed before you get in.

Thermal layers - I loved a good thermal vest and leggings - they need to be proper thermal, and well fitted/snug. And never too small - NOTHING made me colder quicker than that tiny gap between the bottom of my thermal vest and the top of my thermal leggings.... (in the days before peri struck and my overall body temperature increased masively!)

Warm feet, hands, neck and ears - cashmere socks and gloves (and I have been known to wear thin cashmere gloves then some kind of man's over sized ridiculous therman glove over, with wrist warmers), hats and scarves. When especially cold, I used to wear thin silk scarves (proper ones - not the satin numbers that are technically silk but seem to have weird properties) with a warmer and larger cashmere scarf over the top.

My mother swore by heated hand warmers in the pockets of her coats. I like to leave socks and gloves on radiators before I put them on!

Are you moving much or do you need to stay still for long periods? I'm a very cold person, just about OK when moving but quickly cold when still.

As well as wearing suitably warm clothes i have a lake land heated poncho and one of those heated foot muff things when I'm sat at my desk.

When I'm out and expect to get cold i have a USB powered heatpad down my back and handwarmers. For extreme weather I have geared insoles and gloves run from a power pack.

I highly recommend a wool maxi dress for lounging at home, buy one too big to go over whatever you're wearing, and add a down gilet if needed.

To echo the above post- when did you last have bloods done to check for deficiencies? Anaemia, Vit D, thyroid, diabetes etc? It might be a correctable condition OP. Are you peri? Worth getting checked.

Another thing to consider is SAD- seasonable affective disorder which can affect people with the dropping amount of light in winter. Not specifically making you feel cold, but low in mood, tired, sad/anxious or difficulty concentrating. You can buy a SAD lamp which mimics sunlight and some people get benefit from using one.

Get fatter?

I feel for you, I have Reynauds and it’s not fun. I have cashmere socks, fingerless gloves, and arm warmers (got inexpensively in the Turtle Doves sale a few years ago ago). Also have a cashmere and Lycra snood type thing that I wear around my middle, over a thermal base layer. Thermal leggings from a sports wear shop. I wear lightweight socks under the cashmere socks. Wool lined shoes, and sheepskin slippers, sheepskin lined outdoor boots too. Lots of warm hats, with either ear warmer bands underneath, or ear muffs over the top. Lots of second hand cashmere jumpers, which I layer. Wool or down filled coats, no man made fibres. Heated throw goes over me when I sit down at home. Heated foot warmer too (one you put a hot bottle in). Two hot water bottles in bed. Scarves for outside, lightweight snood around the neck when inside. Heating on more than I’d like, but the electric throw helps with that. Like a pp said, it’s harder to warm up from cold, easier to stay warm instead. Ooh, hot showers or baths too! (Why autocorrect decided that should refer to ‘lobsters’ I do not know!)

I swear by my thermal long sleeves top and leggings under my clothes to keep me warm. My office is freezing and I often wear long sleeves/legged thermals, thick trousers, a long sleeves top and thick jumper, scarf, 2 pairs of socks and fluffy boots… and have a hit water bottle or heat pad and a blanket on my knee.

i fill a hot water bottle to sit on my knee in the car, and have car blankets that I wrap sound me and tuck over my legs when I’m driving . I warm my coat, hat, gloves, scarf and shoes on radiator before leaving the house.

i have a heat pad and heated blanket that plug in for in the house or at my desk.

I drink hot water constantly.

I have a hot bath or shower on a morning and have clothes warming on radiator to get straight into.

if I get cold it takes a lot to warm me up, so I try and not get cold.

hats are good for indoors and outdoors… as are wrist warmers/fingerless gloves in the house.

Land's End for really warm, down filled coats. Cashmere sweaters are a necessity, I get mine from nearlynewcashmere.co.uk, it'll save you a fortune. They do hats, scarves, gloves and socks too.

Also a raynauds person here.
I have the difficulty that I hate being hot and walk into every hotel room and turn on the aircon, but I also get white numb hands and feet wit the raynauds.

Wrist warmer/fingerless gloves are non use. Proper, not synthetic Sheepskin mittens are best. I bought mine from ugg outlet in 2013, but celtic sell them cheaper than ugg.

Sheepskin slippers are so effective that once my feet warm up they burn and I have to throw them off, so I reckon they would be perfect for you.

Yes to cashmere, I get a lot of second hand men's cashmere - put it in the freezer for a few days to kill any moths eggs that might arrive with it.

I wear wool, cashmere and merino jumpers.

I can't speak to thermals as they make me too hot!

thanks for all your advice!! it looks like i’m going to have to spend lots of money but if it works it’s probably worth it.
i feel i’ve packed badly to come away which doesn’t help. there are things at home i with if brought.
ill look for some usb powered things.

and can anyone recommend any warm boots that don’t look too much like hiking boots but are solid enough to yomp across the odd field. ie not too smart!

I got my boots in the sales a few years ago, merrils. For cashemere accessories I went for turtle doves sales - couldn’t afford full price!

You might not have to spend lots of money if you target certain areas of your body. It's about blocking up those gaps that appear when you move so wrists, shins, necks. I found thermal fingerless gloves the best especially if they were long and covered the whole wrist snuggly. Also collars on your tops, or use a fashion scarf, helps a lot. Wear knee high socks under trousers so none of the lower leg is exposed to gaps. A hat of any type.

And get a blood test done as certain deficiencies can make you feel cold, especially low iron (needs to be around 70).

Primark do furry lined leggings, they are very warm! I think they had some other stuff too. My DH loves his heated thermal gilet, it wasn’t cheap cheap but was Amazon so not ridiculous, maybe worth keeping an eye out on Black Friday.

Ive found that scarves are brilliant for helping to keep warm. Not the wooly outdoor ones ! I also use the faux rollneck things to avoid round neck coldness. Get good base layers ...damart have good thermal stuff layers and keep neck warm

You need a down coat. And proper thick warm gloves. Of a natural fibre. Anything else just traps the cold in. Pure silk under gloves are really warm.

Fur lined boots ( proper fur)

How much exercise do you get?

do you have recommendations for
fur boots
please?

Just make sure they are sheepskin or wool.

Celtic do them.

https://www.celticandco.com/product/water-resistant-sheepskin-lined-tall-boots And an ankle boot version,

But I’ve got cheap very nice ones off Amazon and the White company in the sales.

Cake is always an option