Is it normal… to always feel cold?

Are you constantly shivering, despite wearing three snowman jumpers?

There are a few possible reasons why,

says personal trainer Jason Briggs* – from your brain not distributing signals effectively enough to heat your body, to lifestyle choices. “The hypothalamus [the area of the brain that regulates temperature] sends messages to different parts of your body to either cool down or heat up,” he says. “It also manages your appetite, determining your metabolism – an important part of your body’s temperature regulation, which has to function efficiently to burn calories and create heat.”

Lifestyle choices can impact how it works –

if you’re not exercising enough, you may feel chillier than your gym-mad pal (getting a sweat on will help your heart and lungs to deliver oxygen and vital nutrients around the body). “A lack of sleep can also result in your body not fully ‘recharging’, and when you don’t have enough energy, it’s harder to create warmth,” notes Briggs.

Running low in B-vitamins or iron can also leave you feeling cold.

Briggs suggests keeping a temperature diary, jotting down when your teeth start chattering, how the cold makes you feel (sleepy, perhaps, or anxious?) and what triggers it. “Feeling cold combined with lightheadedness, fatigue, weakness, pale skin or brittle hair and nails is usually a sign of an underlining health issue.” If that sounds familiar, book in with your GP.