Just in Case You Didn’t Think You were Sensitive Enough
Many people with FM complain of being cold all the time, or hot all the time, or alternately hot or cold. This symptom is called temperature sensitivity.
There are several theories, including impaired homeostasis, low blood volume, or impaired blood flow – but no-one knows the exact cause. With FM, some research shows an inability to adapt to changes in temperature along with a lower pain threshold to both heat and cold stimuli.
A lot of people with FM complain that the discomfort of temperature sensitivity can exacerbate other symptoms.
Cold Sensitivity:
Cold-sensitive people are often chilled to the bone and have a hard time warming up. The cold can be all over, or just in the hands and feet (check for Raynard’s Syndrome)
It can be hard for cold-sensitive people to warm up. They may need outside sources of heat, such as electric heating devices or a hot bath.
This symptom is generally worse during cold weather but can strike at any time.
We don’t currently have treatments that are known to relieve cold sensitivity. However, many people are able to avoid this symptom by:
- Keeping their environment warm
- Dressing warmly
- Keeping their feet covered
- Drinking hot liquid
- Taking frequent baths or showers
Heat Sensitivity:
Some heat-sensitive people describe all-over heat sensations that seem to emanate from inside. Others may only have problems in their hands and/or feet, possibly along with puffiness and an ache, while some may get both types.
It can be hard to cool off and may require ice packs, cooling products, and soaking in cold water.
Hot weather can exacerbate this symptom, but it can also occur at any time.
As with cold sensitivity, we don’t have treatments for this and instead rely mostly on lifestyle changes, such as:
- Keeping the environment cool
- Avoiding heavy clothing
- Drinking cold liquids
- Avoiding overly hot baths or showers
Dual Temperature Sensitivity:
People who are sensitive to both heat and cold face special challenges. How do you set your thermostat when you could freeze or overheat at any time?
Some people find that dressing in layers, or having extra layers available, can be helpful. It also pays to play close attention to your temperature so that you can take steps to warm up or cool down before it becomes problematic.
I’m a dual temperature sensitive person – I do the layers thing. it seems to me to be easier to heat up than cool down; but that might just be because it’s winter here – when I wear the many layers necessary to survive winter, it is too difficult taking all the layers off – AND carrying all the heavy layers around is painful. So I would rather it was warm, because it is less likely that I will need SO many layers.
What do you do?
Related articles
- Symptom: Cold Sensitivity (graveslife.wordpress.com)
Posted on June 25, 2012, in Fibromyalgia and tagged bệnh đau cơ xơ, Cold sensitivity, Conditions and Diseases, 線維筋痛, 纤维肌痛, Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgie, Health, Heat illness, La fibromyalgie, Symptom, Temperature, فيبروميالغيا, weather, פיברומיאלגיה. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
I too dress in layers. My family often tease me about being the only person they have ever known, to be covered up with a blanket in summer. Especially in the house when it is already so warm.
I have never liked winter. I live in upstate New York, which can get quite cold. My feet hands and nose are usually very cold despite appropriate clothing. It’s now early summer, with temperatures near 100 degrees (f) and my hands and feet are cold as I type this. My feet are ALWAYS cold…even in summer. At night, I wear Alpaca wool sox to bed year round! Sometimes I have to wear two pair! I do on occasion have to have a cup of hot tea, or take a hot shower to warm up. In addition, my normal temperature is always a degree, or two lower than ‘normal.’
I am post-menopausal and never had a hard time with hot flashes. However, in the past year I’ve developed the unpleasant tendency to sweat profusely whenever I do anything other that sit. It’s just lovely…the other day I used up an entire roll of paper toweling mopping up the sweat from my face. I asked my doctor about this and was told it’s a side effect of Cymbalta!
I’m not ready to give up the small pain relief I get from Cymbalta, so I’ll just continue to sweat, and have cold nose, hands and feet!
I’m not sure about post-menopausal but I sweat uncontrollably and it is miserable. Doctor tried some symptomatic relief but nothing has helped medicine change no help. My husband is a Med web junky and keeps saying that my sweats are caused by my FM medication Savella it has only been on the market for a year and is only the second one that they have come up with specifically for our problem and it is the only thing in 20 years that has helped besides being totally inebriated you know how they say drunks feel no pain “been there and done that” got the chip to prove it
Sober for 10 years now T.Y.J. Alcohol and other drugs only mask some of the symptoms but they return with a vengeance when you sober up. I like you mama am not willing to give up the little bit of Joy that I have back in my life just because I have to change my clothes often or constantly take them off
I am dual sensitivity and try to dress appropriatly for the weather but also use natural fabrics as they help. Last night I was in so much pain with my feet when I went to bed. They felt as though I had them in the fires of hell!!. I do try to use iced water in a hotwaterbottle and that sometimes helps, then the crossover pain kicks in and I need to warm as I have got them too cold!! Well its all a learning curve for us all isn’t it? xx
Thanks for this. I thought maybe I was the only one who was hot from the inside. People tell me that I am hot to the touch or I radiate heat when I am not hot. I used to almost never get cold but when I did it took a lot & a long time for me to get warm & vice-versa when I got hot. Now I am greatly sensitive to the heat & I use layers against the cold & it mainly still bothers my feet & hands. To cool my feet or help with the pain I keep two large coke bottles filled with water in the freezer. I wrap them each in a towel & lay them on the floor & rest my feet on them or I roll them back & forth. I too love the reief that Cymbalta gives me but it seems that it greatly affects my vision.
I’ve also used the frozen water bottle trick, James! However, it served a dual purpose for me – cooling down and easing plantar fasciitis, which I have in both feet.
For the most part I’m dual sensitive… but it’s sometimes as simple as not being able to get my body temp back up once it’s dropped. I also have a body temp that runs a degree or so below ‘normal’ and in the summer I can get sooooo cold from the air conditioning and be covered up with socks and blankets, etc, while my husband is wearing just a pair of shorts. My parents, hubby and I vacation together sometimes at the beach and it took one ill-prepared trip for me to realize that if I get even a little bit of sun I’ll be the one sitting in the condo freezing while everyone else enjoys the cool air conditioning. After that I had to start packing sweatpants and a sweatshirt… for a trip to the beach! It’s really strange. lol!
I usually just use the layers plan as well, and for the most part it works out okay… I’d rather be cold than warm simply because it seems to be easier to put more clothes/blankets on than bring my temp down once I get too hot. I already keep ice packs and such on hand for migraines, however, so maybe I should take a cue from Glynis’ ice water filled bottles and use them as “cool-downs” too!
I’m cold sensitive. It’s one of the reasons why I now live in the desert. Winter is manageable here. The only bad thing about the summer is that most people and places keep the air conditioning temp way too cold. I’m lucky that my husband isn’t bothered by the heat and we can keep the house at 80 F. But in most other places I have to wear sweaters and pants and then walk out into 100 F temperatures. Annoying but less annoying than some of the other gifts that fibro gives to me.