Older adults often feel colder than younger individuals. This phenomenon stems from a combination of natural physiological changes associated with aging, potential underlying health conditions, and various environmental and lifestyle factors. Understanding these contributors can help address why an elderly parent might feel perpetually cold.
How Aging Affects Body Temperature
As individuals age, their bodies undergo several physiological changes that affect temperature regulation. A decrease in metabolic rate means the body produces less heat internally at rest. Older adults also tend to have reduced muscle mass, which generates less heat compared to fat tissue.
The skin changes with age, becoming thinner and losing some of its insulating layer of subcutaneous fat, making it harder to retain warmth. Blood circulation can also become less efficient; blood vessels may not constrict as readily in response to cold, impacting blood flow to extremities like hands and feet. The hypothalamus, the brain’s temperature control center, may become less responsive, impairing the body’s ability to sense and react to temperature fluctuations.
Potential Health Conditions
Beyond natural aging, several health conditions can contribute to an elderly person feeling cold. Hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid gland, slows metabolism and reduces heat production. Anemia, characterized by a low red blood cell count, impairs oxygen transport, resulting in cold hands and feet and a general sensation of coldness.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) causes narrowed arteries, restricting blood flow to the limbs and often resulting in cold, numb, or painful extremities. Diabetes, particularly when it leads to nerve damage (neuropathy), can affect temperature sensation and blood vessel function, making feet and hands feel cold. Heart conditions, such as congestive heart failure, can also reduce the heart’s efficiency in pumping blood, leading to decreased circulation and cold extremities. Certain medications, including beta-blockers and some antidepressants, can have coldness as a side effect by affecting heart rate or circulation.
Environmental and Lifestyle Factors
External and behavioral elements also play a role in an elderly person’s perception of cold. Inadequate home heating or drafts can significantly contribute to feeling cold indoors. Insufficient clothing for the ambient temperature is another common factor.
Poor nutrition, especially a lack of sufficient caloric intake, means the body has less fuel to generate heat. Dehydration can impair the body’s ability to regulate temperature effectively. A lack of physical activity further exacerbates feelings of coldness, as movement helps generate body heat and improve circulation.
Practical Strategies and When to Seek Help
To help an elderly parent stay warm, several practical strategies can be implemented. Layering clothing, starting with a thermal base and adding multiple thinner layers, provides better insulation than a single thick garment and allows for easy adjustment. Ensure the home is adequately heated, ideally between 68-72°F (20-22°C), and check for drafts around windows and doors to prevent heat loss.
Encourage warm beverages like herbal teas or hot chocolate, and offer nutritious, warm meals such as soups and stews, to help raise internal body temperature. Promote light physical activity, such as walking indoors or gentle stretches, to improve circulation and generate warmth. Using blankets, heated throws, or warm baths can provide immediate comfort. If coldness is a new or worsening symptom, is severe, or is accompanied by other signs like unusual fatigue, unexplained weight changes, pain, or confusion, consult a healthcare professional.