• Question: When your hands are cold they are more sensitive, why is this?

    Asked by betsyjean to Adrian, Gaia, Jim, Scott, Vicky on 12 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Gaia Andreoletti

      Gaia Andreoletti answered on 12 Mar 2016:

      When you’re exposed to the cold, your body tries to maintain its internal temperature by constricting small blood vessels under the surface of the skin on your hands and feet. This reduces blood flow to your extremities and allows more blood to move deeper in the body, so your core stays warm.

      Some people are just more sensitive to it than others, but it’s typically not something to worry about 🙂

    • Photo: Scott Lawrie

      Scott Lawrie answered on 14 Mar 2016:

      When you’re cold, your veins get smaller so blood gathers near your vital organs to keep them safe. With less blood in your fingers (and toes, nose, ears etc) your finger muscles get tighter and stiffer so they’re less able to move. That’s why it’s hard to do fiddly jobs with cold fingers, like texting on your phone or writing. It also makes them less resilient to damage so even normal amounts of pressure hurts more.

      I hope that helps explain it 🙂

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