Grandmothers always preached it: in autumn you have to avoid getting cold on your feet. Many people think that cold feet can start a cold. Others are convinced that it is not. Who is right?
Temperatures drop a little and the incidence of flu and colds increases. It happens every year since the beginning of time, but we are still not very clear about the relationship. It doesn’t matter if it’s coronavirus, flu, or a normal cold, there is mucus, sneezing, and coughing everywhere. How can you protect yourself and resist the attack of viruses? One thing is clear, a healthy diet, exercise, sleep and just enough stress strengthen the immune system.
Since we know that seasonal respiratory conditions are caused by viruses and bacteria, the idea that cold is the cause of colds and flus tends to be dismissed. You can already be very cold, that if there is no virus, there is no disease. So, we say that the reason there are more colds and flus in winter is that we tend to spend more time indoors, where we get infected more easily than outdoors, and that many viruses reproduce more when the sun does not shine, which also favors transmission. All that is true, but the influence of cold cannot yet be completely ruled out.
The fact is that our immune system can only function properly if the organs are well supplied with blood. When it is cold, blood vessels constrict and blood circulation is reduced, because the body wants to prevent further heat loss. The nasal mucosa also cools and dries. As a result, cold viruses penetrate more easily into the body and immune efficiency decreases. So, there is still a logical connection between cold feet and colds.
COLD FEET ARE A RISK OF COLD (A STUDY SHOWS IT)
The question of how connected cold feet and colds are has also occupied science. Scientists at Cardiff University in Wales have examined the connection between cold feet and the common cold in a study.
For their research, they divided 180 healthy students into two groups: one had to put their feet in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes, while the other group was allowed to stay with their shoes on.
While there was no difference immediately after the experiment, the rate of colds in the “cold water group” increased significantly over the next four to five days: 13 participants caught a cold with cough, runny nose and sore throat; while in the comparison group only five participants were affected.
This suggests the following conclusion: in times when colds circulate, many people become infected, but show no symptoms if the body or feet are kept warm. However, if the feet are cold, the likelihood of the cold breaking out and those affected getting sick increases.
TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR FEET WARM
To get through the healthy cold season, we need to make sure our feet stay pleasantly warm. First of all, the obvious is important, in autumn and winter, you need the right warm shoes and socks.
Shoes should not squeeze the feet so that blood can circulate freely. The material of the upper part should be breathable, either microfiber or leather, so that moisture does not accumulate in the shoe. The soles must be waterproof. Comfortable wool or cotton socks are recommended, which also evacuate sweat.
Cold feet are not only caused by cold outside temperatures, but also by physical inactivity. When you sit for a long time, your feet are less stocked with blood and get cooler. This changes the whole perception of temperature and you start shaking.
Instead of turning on the heating, a short tour of the office, the floor, or just a mini-workout session with a series of ten squats would be nice. The heart immediately pumps blood to the feet again.
COLD FEET AFFECT WOMEN MORE THAN MEN
In general, women, especially younger ones, are more likely than men to have cold feet. The difference in the perception of cold can be up to 5ºC. This is linked to lower blood pressure and lower muscle mass in women. So, women need more exercise than men to stay warm.
COLD FEET: OTHER CAUSES (SUCH AS RAYNAUD’S SYNDROME)
Of course, if your feet are permanently cold, it may be due to an underlying illness. Some of the disorders that can occur with cold foot sensation are:
- Occlusive disease of the peripheral arteries, which is usually caused by hardening of the arteries.
- Raynaud’s syndrome may also be responsible for cold feet, because blood vessels suddenly narrow and spasm.
- Some medications, such as some drugs for migraines or hypertension, and some contraceptives and antidepressants can also cause cold feet as a side effect.
COLD FEET: HOW TO IMPROVE LONG-TERM BLOOD CIRCULATION
Alternate foot baths help prevent cold feet in the long term, as they train the circulatory system so that it can adapt quickly to temperature changes.
An alternate foot bath works like this:
- First put your feet in a bowl of warm water for two to three minutes and then in a bowl of cold water for two to three seconds.
- Repeat this change about six to eight times.
- Then rub your feet vigorously and hydrate them with arnica or citrus oil, which stimulates blood circulation again.
If you are already trained in the alternate foot bath, you can introduce alternate showers, which train the entire vascular system.
Exercise and resistance training are very good methods to keep your feet warm and strengthen your immune system. If you walk briskly for three-quarters of an hour five times a week you are less likely to succumb to a respiratory infection than if you sit still.
And you can warm yourself from within. An infusion of cinnamon and ginger will help you. Take 1 cinnamon stick, 2.5 cm of peeled fresh ginger, chop them and put them in a large cup, cover with boiling water and let them stand for ten minutes. Then strain and drink the infusion sweetened with honey.
