Why are my hands cold all the time?

Symptoms:

Your hands are always cold and you’ve noticed you’re getting short of breath. Occasionally you have palpitations when your heart races. You’re overweight and have Type 2 diabetes. Each winter you notice that your hands and feet get very cold. Your fingers and toes feel numb and cold during the winter, and your skin also changes colour when exposed to cold, going from white to blue to red. It could be:

Anaemia, the most common cause of which is iron deficiency, especially in menstruating women who lose blood each month, particularly if their periods are heavy (menorrhagia).

Arterial disease where your arteries have been narrowed by your diabetes and not enough blood is getting through to your extremities. Raynaud’s disease where the smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow in the cold limiting blood circulation to exposed areas. Stop it:

Seek an appointment with your doctor to have blood tests, and if you are iron deficient, start taking iron supplements. Have your menorrhagia treated.

Lose some weight if you can, and see your doctor for dietary advice and a check up on your blood sugar. Try to take more exercise, at least 150 minutes of brisk walking a week.

See your doctor for advice to help prevent an infection in one of your fingers or toes, wrap up well in cold weather, wear several layers and always a hat to keep up your core body temperature.