Women are sensitive to cold – what man isn't familiar with the situation where his partner tries to warm her cold feet against his legs under the blanket? In the office too, the sexes often argue about the heating temperature and open windows. Yet women usually can't help feeling colder. It's simply due to the evolutionary differences in the physiology of a woman's body. Sensitivity to heat and cold is simply different. But what exactly is it in the female body that causes women to feel cold faster and more intensely than men?
More muscles – more heat energy
The equation is quite simple: More muscle mass means more heat energy. Working muscles release energy. However, the muscle itself only uses about one-third of this to perform the movement (such as running, jumping, etc.). The remaining large portion is released as pure heat. Since a muscle consumes energy even at rest, heat is generated even then. Men have an average muscle percentage of 40 percent, whereas women have an average muscle percentage of only 25 percent. What does that tell us? Time to hit the weights for strength training, ladies! The higher your percentage of muscle, the higher the basal metabolic rate your body requires to keep everything running. In the end, this means more heat energy available to the body to distribute all the way to your hands and feet.
Higher body fat percentage in women
Here too, nature has optimized the female body so that it is always prepared for pregnancy just in case. Due to the female body fat percentage of approx. 25 percent (men only around 15 percent), the body can store more energy, which could directly support the embryo in the event of a pregnancy. Now some might wonder if this isn't equivalent to a higher insulation effect. Yes and no. For fat to have a beneficial thermal insulation effect, there would need to be plenty of it. And that is precisely what today's woman tries her best to avoid. Generally speaking, the 21st-century woman is significantly thinner than women of previous centuries. Although body fat insulates heat to a certain extent, it does not produce it. And if basic body warmth is missing, body fat won't help either.
Women have a thinner layer of skin
Another disadvantage that makes women feel cold faster is their thinner skin layer compared to men. On average, this is around 15 percent thinner in women than in men. The result: cold can penetrate the body more quickly. In addition, blood circulation to the skin is reduced in cold conditions because vessels constrict and the body automatically directs blood to vital organs first.
Further reasons for feeling cold: choice of clothing, hormones, and lack of sleep
There are many other minor and major reasons why women feel cold faster than men. First, there is the choice of clothing: women tend (to put it gently) not to dress appropriately for the weather, but often choose their clothing based on whether they like it. Tight-fitting clothing also has the side effect of lacking the heat-insulating layer between individual garments. The solution: dress nicely and functionally instead. Loose clothing and layering are a much better choice, especially in winter, than just a single item of clothing that is also tight-fitting. Female hormones also contribute to women feeling chilly more easily. They produce more estrogen than men, which promotes the building of a fat layer (keyword: potential pregnancy). Men, on the other hand, have a higher proportion of testosterone, which supports muscle building. Too little sleep can also cause more frequent shivering. Since women tend to sleep less than would be good for them, especially due to the double burden of child-rearing and employment, they feel chilly more quickly than men.
So what can women do against feeling cold all the time?
What tricks, big or small, can help you stop feeling so cold as a woman? We already gave you the advice above about functional layered clothing, especially in the cooler months. Another tip you've probably already guessed is: exercise. Even a little movement helps more than no movement at all. HIIT workouts or strength training are, of course, things that get you sweating and ensure your body warms up. But endurance sports or a yoga session are also extremely useful in the long run. Anyone who has ever taken a really tight, well-planned Vinyasa flow or Pilates class knows that these supposedly soft sports can be amazingly intense and extremely sweaty. Regular movement trains your muscles (remember: more muscle, more thermal energy) and promotes blood circulation. All of this ensures that your basal metabolic rate increases slightly and you generally feel less cold. You can also set up a small home gym at home. Depending on space and preferences, anything from dumbbells to a rowing machine works—there is no right or wrong. And if you do feel chilly, additional immediate measures like a cup of hot ginger tea, a warm bath, a hot water bottle, or a fluffy blanket on the couch are, of course, always recommended. Foods that warm you from the inside, like hot spices (chili, pepper, fresh ginger), also challenge and train your metabolism. There are also massage oils containing mildly warming herbal essences like rosemary. Why not ask your partner to massage your feet with them in the evening to stimulate circulation? Leg warmers or wrist warmers are also effective helpers—when your wrists, lower legs, and ankles are wrapped up warm, your hands and feet won't cool down as quickly.
