by Sylvie Manaigre
Men and women have roughly the same core body temperature (37C), so why are my hands and feet freezing while I am burning up and my partner is lying in bed comfortably? If we really are all the same temperature on the inside, why does dual zone climate control even exist?
Popsicle toes explained:
Our perception of temperature depends more on skin temperature, which tends to be lower in women (due to slower metabolism caused by difference in size & muscle). One study reported that the average temperature of women’s hands exposed to cold was ~3C degrees lower than in men.
How our bodies thermoregulate themselves
Metabolic rates are a factor, but the main reason women are hotter & cooler than men is… hormones! Specifically estrogen and progesterone.
Men have & need progesterone too.
Fellas, before you stop reading, you have these hormones too. Men rely on this alleged “female sex hormone” to counteract the effects of estrogen on the male body. In fact, progesterone is a precursor to the “male sex hormone” – Testosterone.
Okay, so why do hormones affect our internal temperatures?
When we don’t have enough progesterone, estrogen dominates. Estrogen slightly thickens the blood, reducing the flow to capillaries that supply the body’s extremities. This means that, in women, blood flow to the tips of fingers and toes tends to shut off more readily when it is cold.
Other symptoms of excess estrogen in women include:
- Low libido
- Hot flashes
- Migraines or headaches
- Depression, anxiety or other mood changes
- Menstrual cycle irregularity or absence
- Weight gain
- decrease in bone density
- infertility
Ways to Boost progesterone.
- Eating more foods with zinc such as shellfish
- Upping your intake of vitamins B and C, which help maintain progesterone levels
- Regulating stress levels (cortisol is released when you’re very stressed, reducing progesterone levels)
When it’s too hot:
When the weather heats up, so does our internal body temperature. Especially if we are exerting ourselves outdoors. Because of our metabolic rate, hormones, skin blood flow, and sweating, women have a harder time off-loading heat post exercise.
I had a 1:30pm run with two jacked shirtless dudes, not a bad way to start the afternoon. We were running 5 mins hard, 5 mins easy for 20 mins. During the second hard interval, my heart rate skyrocketed, I kept running obviously, I must just really be out of shape… I started to feel light headed, I was actually having visions of myself fainting. I actually thought to myself, ‘We’re doing loops so they’ll find me’… I kept running, it’s just really hot out… It was really hot, but I wasn’t sweating and I had goosebumps all over my arms, and a chill came over me. I stopped. It was 30 degrees out, something was wrong. I was experiencing heat exhaustion on my way to heat stroke.
WHY WOMEN REALLY NEED TO CHILL
Cool down stimulates circulation. Women experience greater decrease in arterial blood pressure after exercise than men and need assistance speeding up vasoconstriction after hard exertion.
When we abruptly end a workout (skip our cooldown), the blood pools up in our legs, which can make us dizzy and cause our blood flow to drop so low that we can’t get key nutrients into our blood cells.
BEAT THE HEAT
- Post exertion freezies, popsicles, ice cold drinks
- Ice packs, ice cubes in your running vest/ sports bra
- Ice baths
- Cold compress
- Heat shield clothing (like heat gear by under armour) or loose fitting clothing.
- Wear sunscreen
- Slow down. As Jeff Galloway from runners world suggests : One key to minimizing the buildup of core body temperature is to slow down by 30 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees of temperature increase above 60F (slow down by 20 seconds per kilometer for every 2C increase above 14C).
When it’s Too cold:
When our bodies lose heat faster than they can produce it, our internal temperature starts to drop. We start to shiver. This is our body’s automatic response to try to warm us up. If it doesn’t work, once our temperatures fall below (35C), we start experiencing more serious symptoms:
- Slurred speech or mumbling
- Slow, shallow breathing
- Weak pulse
- Clumsiness or lack of coordination
- Drowsiness or very low energy
- Confusion or memory loss
- Loss of consciousness
When our body temperature drops, our heart, nervous system and other organs can’t function normally. If left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of organs and eventually to death.
It’s important to listen to our bodies. Women need to be extra diligent with warming up and cooling down as our bodies have a more difficult time thermoregulating due to our metabolic rate, and hormones.
Our hormones control many of our bodies processes. When they get out of balance, our body reacts in crazy ways. Hormonal imbalances can lead to a variety of complications. Good news is that imbalances are treatable and preventable. See a doctor / ND to diagnose an imbalance so you can start moving better, feeling better, and living better!