I don't feel cold (I feel warm) at all (except for my hands) all my life, what is it?

Just one note: Otherwise I’m ok, I was never ill (fewer, cold, flu) only physical accidents (broken leg, etc.). It’s not a problem, except for hot summer, I’m walking in shadows, and still my brain is overheating or something. For a lack of better description.

I’ve heard of this before, but I don’t remember the name for it. It has to do with the way the brain interprets messages concerning hot and cold, and, as I recall, it does have a genetic component. You might want to ask your physician, if you haven’t already. Apparently it’s a very rare condition.

I asked my physician, if this is in my brain (so I could normalize it a bit, with a little help), or physical. She’s old, but she told me it’s in the body, and that it’s normal to some extent. But I feel I didn’t describe it well to her, like there’s absolutely no feeling of cold. I can lay down naked in the snow, and never get bored (except I don’t do it for obvious ‘naked’ reasons.. and also I know I can still lose fingers, or nose due to cold, it’s quite dangerous, because I feel like in the spring/summer all the time. I feel only wind and pressure in my arms for example, but I’m more sensitive to pressure (as I observed) I can determine the speed of wind precisely, so it has some minor perks.

If you could remember, what the name was. I could maybe find more about it. But it’s hard to search the internet, because everyone is talking about being cold or not feeling cold but only in the certain situations.

I’m relatively oblivious to the cold as well, and have to remember to wear thin layers of clothing that protect my body from the cold (a turtleneck and sweatshirt usually do it for me. Remembering to wear socks in the winter is hard.). Even though you don’t feel the cold, overexposure to cold can still be detrimental to your health.

This also seems to be a problem with people going through menopause (hot flash). Since you say you’ve always had this problem since childhood, I’m sure its not menopause. But maybe it has to do with your hormone levels or thyroids. I would get them checked just in case. Its possible you also don’t sweat as much as you should. I believe that is an actual condition. You don’t say however if your body temp tends to run higher than normal.

PandoraBoxx: When I’m wearing something even that t-shirt I feel overheating, it’s bad and also I sweat like crazy. That’s why I prefer to wear almost nothing (except for the good gloves, I’m dreaming about some mechanism to heat my gloves). As I said I never was ill but it’s possible, that it will be reflected at later age (I’m 30 now) somehow. But I still prefer being in cold (i.e. nothingness), than sweating.

Pandora: When I’m in a warm, I sweat almost instantly and constantly. I never had a fever (risen body temperature, as far as I remember). I only got migraines from cold sometimes (very rarely), but that’s when exposed for a longer time (like >5 hours in minus centigrade). Also when there’s far below zero, friends checked my arms, and they’re warm even if they should be cold. As opposed to my hands which are like frozen.

@SmartK8 Here are heated gloves.

Here is some research on heat and cold receptors in the body:

“Now University of Florida scientists have found the first evidence to explain why, and it turns out it’s an inside job: Certain nerve cells in the body appear capable of transmitting the sensation of cold to the central nervous system without ever coming in contact with the outside environment like their brethren nearer the skin’s surface. Instead, these cells are studded with receptors that seem to receive sensory input from hormones, proteins or other biochemical compounds within the body.”

“The University of California at San Francisco team that conducted the research set out to investigate how plant products such as menthol elicit a cooling sensation. Their quest led them to a particular cellular doorway that, in the presence of menthol, changes the flow of ions into nerve cells. This shift produces a nerve signal that results in sensation. As it turns out, the same ion channel that responds to menthol is also activated by cold temperatures, between eight and 28 degrees Celsius.

According to the report, this cold- and menthol-sensitive receptor (CMR1) belongs to the same so-called transient receptor potential (TRP) family of ion channels to which known heat-activated channels belong, making it a “close molecular cousin” of those receptors. The researchers note, however, that the heat receptors are activated only in the pain-producing range. Such differences in channel sensitivities, they write, “may help to explain why psychosocial thresholds for cold-evoked pain are not as distinct as they are for heat.” ” Source

As for your hands, its not unheard of for them to get colder than the rest of your body. Most of a persons body heat remains closer to your organs during cold temperature. That is natures way of helping us survive the cold and less blood circulate to your hands or at least by the time it makes it pass your arms its already not as hot as when it was in the core of your body. I almost always have cold hands and feet. Its very common. In your case though, I would have the doctor check your Hypothalomus (sorry if mispelled) since it is what controls your body temperature and other things that control conditions associated with elevated body temp. Dehydration can also cause a person to feel warm. If nothing is wrong than its possible this is just normal for your body. When my son was a baby, I couldn’t hold him for too long or I would break out in a sweat. He was extremely warm blooded and so was his dad. My husband had (no so much these days) an extremely warm body all the time. He could eat like a horse and he would weigh no more than 140 lbs. He was also very active. Muscles burn a lot of heat as well. However it was his high metablalism that kept him burning hot. His metabolism has changed and so has his activities. As a result he isn’t as warm as he was when younger.

Ok, thank you all. I guess it’s really physical after all. At least now I can have some explanation for people, who are constantly stopping me in the streets asking if I’m not cold. ;)

MarineLife: Great article. So I guess I maybe don’t have those nerve cells in my body, except for my hands. Or at least they’re not working properly :/ Thanks for the gloves, I chose the ones that looks almost normally. As I really don’t want to wear the motorcycle gloves :D

Pandora: I guess it’s a combination of some of those nerve cells not working, and the rest is a behavior that you’ve described. I’ve also hyperactive metabolism. The liquids are almost like just dropping through me. To sustain a reasonable figure I’m also overeating, which is not that bad (except a bit expensive), otherwise I’m quickly getting slim. But overall I feel great, because it’s still cold outside here, and I love it. Only those summers are hell. I hope the global warming is not coming any time soon. :)

I have the same problem. My hands get terribly cold and then my body freaks out and sends the “heat those hands up” signal to my hands and then my hands respond by heating up two fingers.

What I have is called Reynaud’s Phenomenon. I have always been a warm person too. The cold hands really such though.

tranquilsea: I checked that on the Wikipedia, and those people has like frozen fingers, but mines are just cold (and quickly frozen), after being a while inside they’re ok (and fully movable) again. No coloration. Although if I’m exposed for a longer time under let’s say -10C (for hours) they are getting white, but I think it’s normal reaction. So no coloration after being exposed. I just feel incredible cold from them, but they look normal, and I can move them normally. But of course when exposed to cold described above they are slowly starting to be frozen. But the cold is still the same, crazy. Like I’m being cold in my hands for all the body. Which is feeling nothing.. but pressures.

If I have proper gloves (or alternative hand heat insulator) and I’m exposed from -15C to 15C I feel nothing entirely. Just a wind blowing. It’s a great state, but then after longer time exposed to this temperature (you can forget) I do find my mouth (for example) frozen (which I consider obvious in that situation). I hope I described it well.

It means you are good at playing cards. have you been to Vegas?

AS @tranquilsea suggests, check out Raynaud’s Syndrome,

An easy exercise is to spin your arms around like windmills. That will increase the circulation to hands.

Whatever it is, I wish I had it! I’m always cold!

David: Vegas’s to warm for me, I’ve played poker few times, but I sucked at it badly (so I won :). I was once in Morocco, just for the fun of it. It was sunny madness.

Gailcalled: I’ll try that, I’m usually clapping my hands, but it helps only temporarily. But as I never do go out without my gloves (when cold outside), I’m usually ok. I was just asking to find out if there’s something I can do to make it normal. I only got problems in summer, but I’m used to survive it. :))

Leanne1986: Yeah, it’s good.. in winter, but when there’s above 15C it’s like 30C for you. Imagine a middle of summer at noon then (:O). I can’t wear any complex or layered dresses (sweating, ouch). :-// Good think is I look younger as if the time passed slower for me (or maybe it’s just good genes :D), and in summer it’s like being in a hothouse all the time. So it’s good for my health I guess, but I’m usually sitting in front of an air conditioning turned to lowest settings, and trying to keep cold.