Cold Hands - Do I have Raynauds?

It's not unusual to have cold hands occasionally, especially this time of year. It is simply one of the ways the body maintains its core temperature and is quite normal.

Raynauds is a condition where the arteries to the hands are narrowed. It usually shows up between the ages of 15-30 but can be secondary to other health conditions as you get older. It affects, variably, about 10 million people in the UK.

For someone with Raynauds, the hands can always feel cold even in warm weather. When exposed to the cold or even emotional stress, the arteries to the skin can spasm further, preventing the blood from getting to the furthest away areas, such as the hands and feet, ears and nose.

This Raynauds attack can cause the skin to feel very cold or numb, look white, yellow or even blue, and can last for a few seconds up to several hours.

Raynauds is a chronic, incurable condition which can be managed successfully. For most people, keeping the house warm and wearing gloves when it's cold, will be enough.

For the more extreme cases:

Try to avoid sudden changes in temperature.

Improve circulation by exercising regularly, even just lots of daily, vigorous arm swinging, circling and shoulder rolls.

It is important to keep as relaxed as possible so think about breathing exercises or yoga.

Eat a healthy diet. Onions, beetroot, fatty fish (salmon), tomatoes, leafy greens, oranges and lemons have all been shown to improve blood flow.

Massage, osteopathic mobilisation techniques, acupuncture and homeopathy can all help with relaxing the soft tissue, improving circulation and reducing stress.

If your hands have become numb or colder more recently for no obvious reason, then it may be worth speaking to health professional with a view to getting a blood test to check for anaemia or a vitamin B12 deficiency.