# Why am I so cold? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 28, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261 "2005-10-28T03:43:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/1 "2005-10-28T03:43:29Z")
Seriously. I checked the thermometer and it says it’s 73 degrees in here. My nose is like ice and my hands are freezing and I keep getting the shivers. Why am I so cold? Stupid cold place. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/2 "2005-10-28T04:19:59Z")
Stupidly really I composed my response in a Word document, so I could cut down on the typos, as soon as I read the thread title and _before_ I read the content. Still, waste not, want not, and maybe anyway this was the subliminal message that you were trying to convey: > [@Word.doc](#): > > Campers, all lawyers ask themselves this from time to time, until they get to about 35, when they stop asking themselves anything much, mainly because it just gets too expensive. The _fact_ you are still able to practise self-reflexion is the thing to hang on to during these dark times. And remember, it’s always darkest just before the dawn. > > Your friend, > > Roger ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/3 "2005-10-28T04:29:33Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > Seriously. I checked the thermometer and it says it’s 73 degrees in here. My nose is like ice and my hands are freezing and I keep getting the shivers. > > Why am I so cold? Stupid cold place. Are you female? Seems to me women are always cold unless actually baking in the tropic sun. My theory is they are really some cold-blooded creature. Men, conversely, always seem to be hot and like to ski and explore Antarctica, and so are clearly warm-blooded. Here in our airconditioned office all the women walk around in jackets, jumpers or cardigans all year, while the men prefer T-shirts or have their sleeves rolled up. ---
**Author:** ![Nilor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a4c791/32.png) [@Nilor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nilor)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/4 "2005-10-28T04:32:46Z")
If you’d included feet I’d say perfectly normal! But…I fear you may be turning into a zombie. Were you bitten by a shambling corpse any time in the recent past? ---
**Author:** ![Habanero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d9b06d/32.png) [@Habanero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habanero)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/5 "2005-10-28T04:35:24Z")
> [@askance](#): > > Are you female? Seems to me women are always cold unless actually baking in the tropic sun I was going to ask the same thing. I’m always freezing too. The ideal temperature for me is roughly 78º. According to my husband, it’s hot in here; yet I’m in socks, pants, ski jacket, and a cat in my lap. One might suggest that your circulation is bad. However, if you’re female then I say you’re normal. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/6 "2005-10-28T04:37:45Z")
My first random thoughts: Fever You’re too-thin and should therefore suffer Circulation: need to get up and move around more often Your thermostat is broken It’s all a dream ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/7 "2005-10-28T04:44:50Z")
Me too, I’m always cold too. I sit next to a digital thermometer so I’ve checked. If it’s below 75 I’m too chilly. (Speaking of chilly, hi there **Habanero**.) 78 is my actual favorite temp too, although anything over 75 is okay. (About whether women are colder than men: ever notice how, at the most formal of occasions, the women are in sleeveless, strapless, backless, frothy little insubstantial things, too revealing for long underwear, while the guys are buttoned into this thing, and studded into that thing, and topped off with a jacket and tie? I always end up with my husband’s jacket draped around my shoulders, sometimes even before dinner is served. Not the look I was planning, and I’m never the only female thus attired.) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/8 "2005-10-28T04:47:31Z")
Are you getting enough fluids? IIRC, when the body gets dehydrated, it conserves water by reducing circulation to the extremities. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/9 "2005-10-28T04:58:37Z")
You’re probably a zombie. Have you had any cravings for braaaiiiiiiiiins? ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/10 "2005-10-28T06:07:50Z")
Okay, some of these theories hold water, particularly the “girls are always cold” theory. I keep slippers, a blanket, and a sweater in my office, and some evenings, I wish for a chiminea, although that likely violates local fire codes. I am also a lawyer, and as **roger** sagely explains, I must therefore be unused to self-reflection and that makes me cold (although, **roger** , I am only just 35, so maybe I’ve retained a bit of my introspective ability). Although, you’re right – I am expensive, and no one’s paying the bills for me to think about me. 😉 But here’s my concern: what if I am actually a zombie? Wouldn’t I be in denial about that? So the fact that I don’t think I’m a zombie isn’t decisive – I could just be a zombie that doesn’t _know_ she’s a zombie – what are the warning signs? What does a craving for brains feel like – is it anything like a craving for sleep? Because I’ve got that one in spades. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/11 "2005-10-28T06:28:34Z")
I can’t picture you in slippers as you stride into the gleaming meeting room on the 30th floor, kick some bottoms (as Basil Fawlty would say), report to the senior partner on the multi-million dollar deals you’ve clinched, put down the company lech, and stride out without a crease in your Armani (? not very good on designers) suit, dictating to your secretary as you stride sown the corridor to the lift on the way to workout followed by power lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Giant\_Spongess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@Giant\_Spongess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giant_Spongess)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/12 "2005-10-28T09:09:33Z")
I read somewhere that women really do feel cold more, because their bodies respond to the cold by reducing circulation to the limbs in favor of the vital organs. Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/13 "2005-10-28T09:17:25Z")
If you’re shivering at that temp, I’d suggest taking YOUR temp to determine whether you are febrile or not. You might be incubating a lurgy. Or, some people with thyroid problems sometimes suffer from feelings of coldness, regardless of the ambient temperature. If this continues, it might be worth getting a simple blood test to determine thyroid function. Or, as has been suggested, you are a zombie. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/14 "2005-10-28T10:54:57Z")
I asked this very question to several doctors and the general answer is that women have lower blood pressure than men and because of that monthly thing we endure for Og Knows How Long, we have a lower iron count. I found that before kids I was always cold. (And nearly always sick all winter long.) Then two pregnancies later filled with pre-natal vitamin goodness, I haven’t been cold much in nearly 5.5 years since my daughter was born. When my hands start to get cold, I start taking my multi vitamin and PRESTO…zee problem goes away and my pee is a purty golden color too! YMMV and you just may be a zombie after all. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/15 "2005-10-28T11:15:36Z")
> [@Hilarity N. Suze](#): > > Me too, I’m always cold too. I sit next to a digital thermometer so I’ve checked. If it’s below 75 I’m too chilly. (Speaking of chilly, hi there **Habanero**.) 78 is my actual favorite temp too, although anything over 75 is okay. > > (About whether women are colder than men: ever notice how, at the most formal of occasions, the women are in sleeveless, strapless, backless, frothy little insubstantial things, too revealing for long underwear, while the guys are buttoned into this thing, and studded into that thing, and topped off with a jacket and tie? I always end up with my husband’s jacket draped around my shoulders, sometimes even before dinner is served. Not the look I was planning, and I’m never the only female thus attired.) “Has a woman who knew that she was well dresses ever caught a cold?” Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) You must be correct, or you think like Nietzsche 😃 **Campion** , take your temperature. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/16 "2005-10-28T14:55:48Z")
I’m always cold too. Yes’ I’m a woman. My ideal temperture is probably about 80-85 degrees, honestly. I’ve just come to the conclusion that my normal body temperature runs ten degrees cooler than everyone elses. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/17 "2005-10-28T15:49:45Z")
All you cold women need is a some exercise and vitamins, and a good, hard e-metering. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/18 "2005-10-28T15:59:01Z")
I always heard that men have proportionately more muscle tissue than women, and muscle tissue is much better supplied with capillaries. We women have more fat, and fat tissue isn’t big on blood vessels. Ergo, equipped with more warm blood pumping through more of their flesh, men feel warmer than women. Don’t know if it’s actually true, though. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/19 "2005-10-28T16:49:42Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > Why am I so cold? Stupid cold place. You wacky Southern California natives. 😛 I was just explaining to someone last night–who currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI–about “SoCal Cold,” which is when the temperature drops below 70°F. Needless to say, she wasn’t impressed. I wish it got colder and stayed cool longer; there’s barely a sweater season here. Another impetus to move up the Pacific Seaboard. Is anybody hiring burned out aerospace/automotive/OHV engineers in Portland? No? I didn’t think so. Anyway, back to the OP, I’d only be concerned about incipient zombie-ism if you have a sudden craving for: B R A I N S! Otherwise, just have a cuppa tea and gebback to work, ya slacker! 😉 Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261/20 "2005-10-28T17:18:29Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > If you’re shivering at that temp, I’d suggest taking YOUR temp to determine whether you are febrile or not. You might be incubating a lurgy. > > Or, some people with thyroid problems sometimes suffer from feelings of coldness, regardless of the ambient temperature. If this continues, it might be worth getting a simple blood test to determine thyroid function. > > Or, as has been suggested, you are a zombie. > > 😛 What’s a lurgy? Are you at home? Elsewhere? The thermostat may be off - take a look at it, see if there’s, say, a lamp near it. We almost strangled my dad once for that one. “It’s not cold to me! Look, it’s 75 in here!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-cold/328261.md?page=2)