How To Keep Hands Warm: 13 ways to protect them against cold weather
Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash
They say that those who have cold fingers have a warm heart. While this sounds sweet, having cold hands can indicate a serious health issue. However, the most common cause of cold hands is poor blood circulation. If you complain of the same condition, before visiting the doctor, try our useful tips that may solve your problem effectively!
1. Stay warm.
Although this sounds obvious, the first thing you should try if you have cold hands is to warm up. Whether you are indoors or outdoors, focus on keeping yourself warm enough. Warm clothes and gloves, especially during the cold months, should be a mandatory part of your outfit.
2. Use gadgets.
Sometimes gloves are not enough to keep your hands warm. Fortunately, there are gadgets designed specifically to warm up your hands. Zippo HeatBank is a chargeable hand warmer that keeps your hands warm in chilly weather. While it’s originally a power bank, it provides continuous gentle warmth on both sides and less waste than disposable warmers.
This gadget is perfect for everything from ski and camping trips, to early morning dog walks, and everything in between. Zippo HeatBank will make sure your hands are warm all the time, while also charging your phone. It is lightweight and fits in every pocket so you can carry it with you wherever you go. To delight yourself with this cool gadget, but also with other unique products, check out our spring subscription box!
Photo credits: www.campingwithstyle.co.uk
3. Avoid tight clothing or shoes.
Warm clothes play an important role when it comes to cold hands or feet. To avoid cold hands, stop wearing tight clothing and shoes outdoors. The tightness around your hands can contribute to the constriction of your blood vessels, leading blood away from your fingers. Loose clothes are better for staying warm.
4. Wear gloves.
The best way to keep your hands warm outdoors is to wear loose-fitting gloves. Also, mittens tend to be better than gloves as gloves isolate each finger. The fingers can heat each other while the mitten retains warm air around your hand.
If you wear gloves, make sure to get gloves that cover your wrists as well. According to one research study, wearing silver gloves has the effect of preventing warm air from leaving your hands, therefore reflecting it into your body and keeping you nice and warm.
Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash
5. Keep your core warm.
To warm up your hands, you must keep your core warm first. You can indeed lose a lot of body heat through your head, and that’s why you should wear a hat outdoors. Also, you should dress warmly in layers especially around your core, to keep more blood in your fingers. If the core (torso) is warm, your body will be able to pump out plenty of heat to your fingers.
6. Stay dry.
If your hands are cold, try to keep them dry. Put gloves on to keep moisture from getting in from the outside. Still, be mindful of overheating and getting sweaty (sweaty hands and gloves cool down quickly when you stop moving).
7. Improve circulation in the hands.
If you often face the problem of cold fingers, it's time to improve your circulation. Keep your body warm wearing warm clothes, avoid drinking cold beverages, especially alcohol, stop smoking, and avoid medicines that cause blood vessels to become narrow such as cold medicines or diet pills. Make sure to exercise regularly or do yoga to get rid of stress.
8. Enjoy a warm bath.
If your hands are cold when you’re indoors too, try a warm bath. A warm bath will heat your entire body including your fingers, while also making you relaxed. However, if you’re too busy to take a bath, you can always run your hands under warm water, or fill a bowl with warm water and soak your hands and wrists.
9. Avoid caffeine.
You may not know it but caffeine affects keeping your hands cold. How? Caffeine constricts the blood vessels and can trigger a flare-up of Raynaud’s disease if you have it. You can solve the problem of cold hands by reducing your intake of foods and drinks with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and chocolate.
Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash
10. Eat healthy food.
This one is pretty simple: eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and you’ll have warm hands. Eating healthy food is great for your circulation because it boosts your heart health, and better flowing blood ultimately means that you are warmer. First of all, avoid eating too much meat, cheese, and salt. On the other side, eat more fruits, vegetables, salmon, radishes, pepper, garlic, turmeric, and such. Vegetables, and healthy food overall, will improve your blood flow during winter and keep your arteries clear.
11. Eat ginger.
Ginger is loaded with antioxidants and can help your body fight off chronic diseases like high blood pressure. Also, ginger is a thermogenic food, meaning it produces heat when your body metabolizes it. If you want to stay warm, drink a hot cup of ginger tea.
12. Exercise regularly.
Cold hands and feet are a very common thing in the lives of people who spend long periods sitting or typing. Exercising is the best way to improve your circulation. Every time you notice cold fingers, take a few minutes to do hand exercises. Besides, you should exercise regularly because only physical activity can help you stay warm long-term. If you’re at home, you can do squats, and if you’re an outdoor person, you can walk, run, ride a bicycle, or simply take yoga classes.
13. Meditate.
Have you heard of Tummo? Tummo, which means 'inner fire', is an ancient meditation technique practiced by monks in Tibetan Buddhism. According to research, Tibetan monks can raise the temperatures in their fingers and toes using a yoga technique known as Tum-mo. Tum-mo allowed them to enter a state of deep meditation and significantly raise their body heat, some as much as 17 degrees (Fahrenheit) in their fingers and toes. Although you’re not a Tibetan monk, you can try this technique.
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