General
Feeling cold all the time
Feeling cold when others are comfortable, or being unusually sensitive to cold, which is often simply down to body type or environment but can signal an underactive thyroid, anaemia or poor circulation — and which in its extreme, with drowsiness, can be dangerous.
Education and reference only. This explains the common causes of feeling cold all the time and the warning signs that need urgent help, in plain language — it is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a clinician. If you feel very unwell or are worried, seek medical help.
Quick answer
What is feeling cold all the time?
Some people naturally feel the cold more than others, and a lean build, age, tiredness or a chilly environment can all make a person feel persistently cold without anything being wrong. When feeling cold is new, marked or out of keeping with the surroundings, however, it can be a useful clue to an underlying condition.
- Get urgent help: Call 999 for extreme cold with drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech, very slow breathing or shivering that has stopped despite the cold — this can mean dangerously low body temperature or a severely underactive thyroid. Seek urgent help for a hand or foot that is suddenly cold, pale or blue and painful, which can mean a blocked artery.
- Self-care: While the cause is being checked, sensible measures help you stay comfortable and warm.
About feeling cold all the time
Some people naturally feel the cold more than others, and a lean build, age, tiredness or a chilly environment can all make a person feel persistently cold without anything being wrong. When feeling cold is new, marked or out of keeping with the surroundings, however, it can be a useful clue to an underlying condition. An underactive thyroid slows the body's metabolism, so the body produces less heat and the person feels cold, sluggish and tired, often with weight gain and dry skin. Anaemia reduces the oxygen delivered to tissues and commonly causes feeling cold along with tiredness and pallor. Poor circulation to the hands and feet — whether from spasm of small blood vessels in the cold or from narrowed arteries — leaves the extremities cold even when the rest of the body is warm. A failing adrenal gland can also cause cold intolerance among other symptoms. Most cold intolerance is investigated calmly with a few simple tests, but extreme cold with drowsiness and very slow breathing is an emergency.
When to get help
Call 999 or go to A&E if feeling cold all the time comes with any of these warning signs:
- Call 999 for extreme cold with drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech, very slow breathing or shivering that has stopped despite the cold — this can mean dangerously low body temperature or a severely underactive thyroid.
- Seek urgent help for a hand or foot that is suddenly cold, pale or blue and painful, which can mean a blocked artery.
- Seek urgent help if feeling cold comes with marked tiredness, dizziness, weight loss and salt craving, which can point to an adrenal problem.
- See a doctor promptly for new, persistent cold intolerance with tiredness, weight gain, dry skin and low mood, which suggest an underactive thyroid.
- See a doctor for feeling cold with pallor, breathlessness or a fast heartbeat, which can point to anaemia.
When to see a doctor
Extreme cold with drowsiness, confusion or very slow breathing is an emergency — call 999, as it can mean a dangerously low body temperature or a severely underactive thyroid. Seek urgent help for a single hand or foot that suddenly becomes cold, pale or blue and painful. For a new or persistent tendency to feel cold all the time, especially with tiredness, weight change, dry skin, pallor or low mood, book a routine appointment so simple blood tests can check the thyroid and look for anaemia and other causes.
Not sure how urgent it is? It is always OK to call NHS 111 for advice, day or night.
What can cause it
Common causes of feeling cold all the time
Feeling cold all the time has many possible causes. Each links to a full, plain-language guide to that condition — what it is, how it's treated and when to seek help.
What helps
Self-care and what you can do
While the cause is being checked, sensible measures help you stay comfortable and warm. Dress in layers, keep the hands, feet and head covered when it is cold, and keep living spaces adequately heated, particularly for older people who feel the cold more and are more vulnerable to it. Regular gentle activity boosts circulation and helps generate body heat, while warm drinks and regular meals support this too. If your hands and feet are the main problem and turn white or blue in the cold, avoid sudden temperature changes, stop smoking as it worsens circulation, and warm the extremities gradually rather than with direct heat. A balanced diet with good sources of iron supports healthy blood. These steps ease the symptom, but a new or marked change still deserves a check for an underlying cause.
Answers
Feeling cold all the time: frequently asked questions
Why do I feel cold all the time when others are warm?
Some people naturally feel the cold more, but a persistent new tendency to feel cold can come from an underactive thyroid, anaemia or poor circulation. If it is new or marked, especially with tiredness or weight change, a clinician can arrange simple tests.
Can a thyroid problem make me feel cold?
Yes. An underactive thyroid slows the body so it produces less heat, leaving you feeling cold, tired and sluggish, often with weight gain, dry skin and low mood. A simple blood test can check thyroid function.
My hands and feet are always cold — is that serious?
Often it is harmless, especially if they go white or blue in the cold and recover on warming, which suggests a circulation response. But persistently cold, pale extremities, or a single cold, painful, pale limb, should be assessed, as poor circulation can have a treatable cause.
When is feeling cold an emergency?
Treat it as a 999 emergency if someone becomes very cold with drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech or very slow breathing, or if shivering stops despite the cold. This can mean a dangerously low body temperature and the person needs emergency help.
Sources
Where this is drawn from
- British Thyroid Foundation.
- NICE CKS: Hypothyroidism.
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