Diabetes is known to cause a lot of complications in your body. When you are a diabetic, it is very normal for you to experience cold as well as numbness in different body parts, particularly in the arms and the legs. There could be various explanations for the same and in this article, we shall try to analyze the relationship between diabetes and feeling cold when you are a diabetic.
So, come and join in for the article “Do Diabetics Feel the Cold More?”
Table of Contents
Relationship Between Diabetes and Feeling Cold
Experts all over the world believe that there is a strong connection between diabetes and feeling cold. When you are a patient of diabetes, you not only tend to feel numb in your hands and feet, you also tend to feel cold more than those who do not have diabetes. There could be several reasons for the same. The following are some important reasons and explanation:
- The regulation of body temperature is closely connected to the metabolic system of the body. In diabetes, as we know, the system is interrupted and as a result, you feel extremely cold when you have diabetes.
- It is a known fact that when you have had diabetes for a long period of time and you are unable to control the same efficiently, there is damage caused to the nerves of the different body parts. When this condition reaches a particular point, it is known as peripheral neuropathy. The condition not only causes numbness, but it also interferes with the other normal sensations which a healthy person would normally experience. The nerves in the limbs are responsible for controlling the temperature. When these nerves suffer damage due to diabetes, you tend to feel cold.
- Besides, when you have diabetes, you could also suffer from the problem of extremely low levels of blood glucose or what is known as hypoglycemia. At this time, your body temperatures become very low leaving you to feel
- Another explanation as to why those who suffer from diabetes tend to feel cooler could stem from the fact that the hormone insulin helps to increase the body temperature in healthy human beings. In type 1 diabetes, therefore, the patients have a low body temperature as they lack the required levels of insulin in their bodies.
- In type 2 diabetes, when you have high levels of insulin for a prolonged period of time, heat in the body is not created by the cells responsible for the same. However, in order to perform different body functions, there is a requirement of heat by the body. This results in storing of the fat which then hinders the process of smooth circulation of blood throughout the body. This, in turn, causes you to feel cold.
- Another important factor that leads to the diabetics feel a lot cooler than their healthy counterparts is the complication of diabetic nephropathy. When you are unable to manage diabetes in an effective manner for a long period of time, there are chances that your condition will cause damage to the nerves in your kidneys. This condition is called diabetic nephropathy. While diabetic nephropathy can cause several problems such as shortness of breath, vomiting, stomach pain and nausea, the condition is also known to make you feel cold at all times.
Because of the above-mentioned reasons, there is a huge possibility that you will feel the cold a lot more when you compare it to your colleagues, friends, and family.
How to Build Heat in the Body When You Are Diabetic?
Well, it is important to build up your body heat so that you are just not shivering at all times and are able to handle the amount of cold that you keep on feeling. Following are some of the ways in which you can achieve the same:
- When you do not get an adequate amount of sleep, the hypothalamus of the brain which is mainly responsible for the maintenance of your body temperature will not work efficiently. Hence, you should definitely catch on some good night sleep
- Indulging yourself in some kind of physical activity will also go a long way in helping to build up the much-required heat in your body’
- You should also do some amount of weight training so that you are able to build up a few muscles for yourself. This is important as muscles help you preserve and build heat
- Also, ensure that you have sufficient amount of iron. Iron helps in transporting of essential heat as well as nutrients to the different body cells and this, in turn, helps you keep warm and comfortable
Follow these simple easy steps that will help you keep warm when you have diabetes and are prone to feeling cold.
We hope that the above article has been helpful in improving your understanding of how diabetes can make the patient feel cold more than the other individuals who do not have this condition. Effective diabetes management can help you deal with the problem. Also, there are various guidelines as mentioned above that can help you build the natural body heat and deal with the condition!!
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- http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20932713,00.html
- https://dm2.newlifeoutlook.com/body-temperature-and-type-2-diabetes/
- https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/why-am-i-cold
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