[Karen W. (OP)]

I can't stay warm anymore.. why is it even sitting in a heated house do I need to cover up to try to keep warm? I mean all my clothes and a blanket?

[Chemistry4me]

Do you have a fever?

[Karen W. (OP)]

No.. Just am cold most of the time these days..

[Chemistry4me]

This could be from anaemia or a thyroid disorder or circulatory problems related to diabetes, high cholesterol or many various other disorders.

[dentstudent]

Karen - I suspect that there are a couple of things at work. Firstly, if you remain in the same environmental conditions for long periods, you become used to them. So if you keep increasing the heat, you gradually acclimatise to the new temperature. Also, low levels of activity tends to reduce ones metabolism, so "you" (3rd person) are not making much of your own heat. Perhaps there are also circulation issues...It's also a question of what you are eating, air humidity and so on.

I sometimes get this too, where I feel a little on the cold side in the house. If I go outside and walk about a bit, put the bins out, do a bit of gardening etc, when I get back in, I feel very warm and need to turn down the heat.

[Karen W. (OP)]

I can move around and still need the heat.. I do have circulation problems among other things .. but was not thinking bout getting used to the temp and all. Definitely
low activity.. I guess that's it.. but i keep buying those yummy warm super thick fleece blankets.. they help but sometimes I still add a heat pad to the old feet!

[Karen W. (OP)]

This could be from anaemia or a thyroid disorder or circulatory problems related to diabetes, high cholesterol or many various other disorders.

check, check, check, nope,and nope.. And yes I am sure its partially that.... do people tend to become cold sensitive with age? Do you think?

[graham.d]

You said you had Reynaud's syndrome which will certainly result in your extremities feeling cold. Try to keep your feet warm, and legs, as these are the most commonly affected areas. It also can affect fingers, nose and ears. Keeping active is good too.

[Karsten]

I know nothing about the medical issues mentioned here but I learned when I came to Vermont and was exposed to real winter weather that your feet and hands get colder when you do not wear a hat. I sometimes work at the computer with a hat on. Hands and feet stay warmer. Without the hat they turn to ice after an hour of sitting.

[Karen W. (OP)]

You said you had Reynaud's syndrome which will certainly result in your extremities feeling cold. Try to keep your feet warm, and legs, as these are the most commonly affected areas. It also can affect fingers, nose and ears. Keeping active is good too.

Yes.. I am glad you thought of that.. I forget about that.. Thanks for the tips.. Its funny you say that.. if I get my feet and warm in particular then legs it does help me stop shaking and make it more tolerable... It just gets so bad sometimes I feel like my body is going to cramp up from hunching up and shivering so bad...

[Karen W. (OP)]

I know nothing about the medical issues mentioned here but I learned when I came to Vermont and was exposed to real winter weather that your feet and hands get colder when you do not wear a hat. I sometimes work at the computer with a hat on. Hands and feet stay warmer. Without the hat they turn to ice after an hour of sitting.

Yep a hat or hood does help some... thanks..

[DrN]

Also check the house for draughts. I need to get a draught 'snake' for the front door - I've never noticed it before, but it's been so cold the last few weeks that it feels like the cold air is gusting in sometimes! And it makes the entire house cold.

[Karen W. (OP)]

Also check the house for draughts. I need to get a draught 'snake' for the front door - I've never noticed it before, but it's been so cold the last few weeks that it feels like the cold air is gusting in sometimes! And it makes the entire house cold.

My house has zero insulation anywhere in it... It is very drafty indeed..I have two french doors that are small individual rectangular panes but that antigue glass 1900 vintage..original glass except two panes...has old skeleton key lock and tiny knobs..very drafty ...have mostly single pain windows..  have replaced 4 with double pain gas filled..but need many more replaced..

i think your draft stopper wold be good to use on all three outside doors....

[DrN]

That might be part of the reason then. Doesn't matter what the actual room temperature is, if there's a draught then I get cold!

[graham.d]

There are quite a few ways to lose heat and thereby feel cold. Low air temperature is one reason, but this is enhanced a lot if the air is moving as in a draught. An often ignored effect is radiated heat. Even if the air temperature is OK and your heating has turned off due to the thermostat being satisfied, you radiate (and receive back) heat. If the walls and windows are particularly cold (because it's cold outside) you will get cold because you will have a net heat loss. This is one reason why we feel it is more comfortable to have the air temperature a bit higher when it is very cold outside. Walls can take a long time to heat, so turning off the heating (at night say) can mean that it can take a while to become comfortable when the heat comes back on. In every case wearing warm clothes (when it's cold) is a good idea.

[Karen W. (OP)]

 Thanks Ghram  that is a great explanation.....And I agree and do tend to wear the least possible clothes as I hate being over bundled  but I have been wearing long sleeves and a sweater...

[techmind]

Wrap up warm and a brisk 2-mile walk after breakfast should set you up for the day - get the circulation going and warm you from within. In my experience one mile is not enough when the weather's cold. (Based on a UK cold of 0 to -5C).

By the way I've noticed too that 18-19C on the thermometer "feels" colder when its -5 to 0 outside than when it's +5 outside. Suspect it does have to do with temperature gradients (eg floor colder), colder walls, draughts etc.

[Karsten]

And don't forget that wearing cotton anywhere on your body tends to make you cold. Try wearing wool socks. Real wool. 100% even. It may scratch, but if your piece of wool clothing is humid (or even completely drenched) it will keep its insulating properties. That was another thing I learned when I came to New England. "Cotton Kills!" Cotton seems to lose all its insulating properties when it gets even slightly wet.
I never wore wool socks when I lived in Germany and I could not get my feet to be warm outdoors in the winter. A few years ago I stepped into a puddle in Vermont, broke through the ice, and filled my boot completely with water. It was around -20C. I had wool socks on, poured the water out of the boot, wrung out the sock, and kept working. No trouble. Wool rocks!

[Karen W. (OP)]

Thanks Karsten...

I will see what  can find...I have trouble finding sock that are not too tight around my ankles....

Thanks for the info!

[Make it Lady]

When I sit working at the computer, I never notice that I'm cold but as soon as I stop and go to make myself a cup of tea, I start to shiver. Why do you think that is?

Karen, keep drinking hot drinks. It will warm you from within. Alcohol apparently does not warm you up.