Cold feet are usually healthy (physiological) reactions of the body to cold. When the outside temperature drops, the body wants to maintain its core body temperature in order to supply the vital bodily functions or organs, such as the brain, heart, lungs and abdominal organs, with sufficient amounts of warm blood. In the course of this so-called centralization of the blood, the body first extracts the warm blood from the fingers and toes, the so-called acra.
For the blood to be transported smoothly, the body must constrict the blood vessels at the acra (vasoconstriction). In this way, the flow rate of the warm blood decreases and the outermost limbs cool down. The result is cold hands and feet. This rapid cooling and freezing on the feet is accelerated many times over by wet skin, sweaty feet, as well as tight shoes and the resulting evaporative cold. However, cold feet can also be a sign (symptom) of some serious illnesses and should be medically clarified in case of disproportionate cold or wetness and the opposite measures such as thick socks and thermal insoles.
Causes
Cold feet in healthy people (phyiologically) are caused by a narrowing of the blood vessels as a result of a cold stimulus from outside. The warming blood is now transported to the center of the body to prevent a drop in the body’s core temperature and a slowing down of vital body functions. The expression “getting cold feet” deals with the fact that a person pretends not to be able to stand the cold, unpleasant ground any longer in order to get away from an unpleasant situation.
In addition, stress and anxiety resulting from the release of stress hormones constricts the blood vessels in the feet, so that blood circulation decreases and cold feet are the result. Cold feet can also be caused by diseases such as circulatory disorders of the legs or feet (peripheral arterial occlusive disease). These circulatory disorders are often caused by calcification of the blood vessels in the legs and feet (arteriosclerosis) as a result of existing high blood pressure (arterial hypertension), as well as diabetes (diabetes mellitus) or nicotine.
Since this also happens at other points in the vascular system, they are also associated with serious dangers such as a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or stroke (apoplexy). Low blood pressure (hypotension), a lack of oxygen-loaded erythrocytes (anemia), and heart disease can also affect the blood circulation in the foot. Furthermore, hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism, immune system disorders or Raynaud’s syndrome, a vascular disease, can restrict blood circulation in the extremities. In addition, a long-term and unnatural (pathological) occurrence of cold feet can also be caused by taking vasoconstrictive medication.
