Cold feet are said to bother nearly half of the society! It’s a symptom of a temporary feeling of chill yet it might be a sign of blood or nervous system issues. Learn more and discover home remedies for cold feet 🙂
My husband often tells me that my feet are like icicles and he seems right. I always have cold feet when I go to sleep. It didn’t bother me when I lived by myself; I always liked to sleep wearing socks. Still, I didn’t realize it could be the symptom of a problem. Since someone told me that cold feet are nothing normal, I got interested in the topic. I even decided on a doctor’s consultation. Better safe than sorry 🙂
The feeling of cold feet isn’t just a winter problem…
Lots of people struggle with the issue and it has nothing to do with the seasons. Almost everyone experiences the feeling of cold feet once they go outside in winter, not wearing shoes that are warm enough. Sadly, I (and many of you) have the same problem in summer, too. It’s quite bothersome because they’re hard to warm up. Wearing two pairs of warm socks or wrapping the feet with a blanket bring no results.
Permanently cold feet tell us there’s something wrong going on in the body. Why are your feet cold? The most common causes:
- the body defends itself – when the temp gets low, your feet get cold at first because the blood system delivers more blood to the chest and stomach. In this way, the body tries to save the most important organs at the cost of cooling down other body parts;
- blood system issues – if cold feet aren’t caused by low temperatures outside, it may be the symptom of blood flow problems e.g. vasoconstriction or embolism (often connected with age, smoking cigarettes, too much stress);
- sedentary lifestyle – having cold feet often results from the sedentary lifestyle e.g. due to office work. Sitting long hours with your legs down slows down the blood circulation so less blood reaches them and consequently – their temp drops.
- body constitution – cold feet affect slim and very tall people because their hearts are not efficient enough to pump the blood to the remote body parts; the entire area to be warmed is definitely too vast;
Interestingly, the causes of cold feet are almost the same for the nose, ears and hands. It’s always the slower blood flow in a given body part. Sadly, the remedies are different for each part.
WHAT ARE COLD FEET HOME REMEDIES?
I’m going to tell you about easy methods and the ones that require a bit more time and preparation. I’ve tested most of them on my freezing feet and believe me – they work.
- Warm socks and shoes
Avoiding cold is the easiest way. Let’s protect the feet e.g. with warmer shoes that have thick treads. Wear warm slippers at home. Choose wool or cotton socks (natural and breathable) and avoid tight socks which may block the blood flow. - Easy exercise
After all, exercising is a great way to warm up and stimulate the blood circulation. I’m not forcing you to go jogging, do pushups or jumping jacks. Just leave the desk for a moment and walk for a few minutes. Exercising is the best remedy for cold. - A traditional hot-water bottle
If your feet are really cold, coldie, cold – get a hot-water bottle. Filled with hot water and placed on the feet covered by a blanket – it gives a nice and long-lasting feeling of warmth. Put the hot-water bottle under your bedsheets to avoid lying in a cold bed. - Heated socks
Electric socks make a good choice and they’re easily available. Such a heated boot is battery powered, houses two feet and has a several-level heat control. You just put them on and feel a nice warmth. Heated socks are a thing as they eliminate the muscle tension, stimulate the blood flow, bring relief after the whole day and increase the temp of feet.
(Alternative: USB heated slippers) - Warming creams
I liked to use warming creams for cold feet. The products are dirt-cheap and effectively increase the blood flow thanks to natural ingredients, such as ginger, rosemary, eucalyptus, pine or camphor. Not everyone’s going to like the aroma (I love it) but it’s an effective way to warm ice-cold feet up. - Warming-up foot bath
Such a bath brings similar effects. Adding essential oils (pine, orange, rosemary or clove) and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, sage) lets you warm cold feet up in a few minutes. - Cold & warm water bath
Changing the water temperature during a bath is a good idea, too. What is it about? For increased blood circulation: soak your legs (half-calf deep) in warm water for five minutes, then in cold water for thirty seconds and next go back to the warm water. You can repeat the routine a few times. - Brushing the feet
Body brushing isn’t very popular yet but when it’s discussed, it’s usually connected with the anti-cellulite massages. Surprisingly, brushing dry feet or doing it during an evening bath is a great way to improve the blood circulation. All you need is a natural bristle brush or a sisal glove. Start brushing the legs at the toes and move up. Use circular motions.
Let me know if you’ve managed to warm your cold feet up using any of my remedies 🙂 Your feedback is super important to me!!
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