You may or may not know this about me… but I suffer from Raynaud’s syndrome which basically means that you wouldn’t want to share a bed with me on a cold night.
I’ve always had “poor circulation”, I remember as a small child, my Nan used to wrap my feet up in the bottom of her long nightdress while we slept in an attempt to warm them up. I’ve lived with cold feet all my life but things only started to get serious a couple of years ago when I noticed my fingers becoming numb in cold weather.
Numb fingers is no joke, it’s a really disconcerting feeling – not exactly painful (it’s when the feeling comes back that they hurt!) but you literally cannot concentrate on anything else while it’s happening. A most unwelcome sensation.
I’ve learnt to combat the problem with my hands with some great avoidance tactics: gloves are an essential – lined leather or suede are unbeatable. Warming my hands under the hot tap restores feeling quicker than anything and Mr. L retrieves things from the freezer for me. As for the tootsies, well… being less accessible than your fingers presents a bit of a problem – also, continuous contact with the frosty ground is never an ideal situation.
If you suffer from cold feet and are feeling the big chill this winter, here are some products that might help thaw you out!
01: Body Essentials Warm Your Sole (£9.99) – A natural chilblain treatment with warming ginger to help improve circulation flow. I massage a few drops of this into my feet after a bath and pull my bedsocks (#3) straight on for toasty night-time feet!
02: Carnation Pedi Roller (£5.49)* – While this curious device was designed to relieve the pain of Plantar Fasciitis, I use it to encourage sensation back into my feet when things get painful! It seems to work well to encourage the blood flow… plus it’s kinda fun!
03: SockShop Heat Holders Thermal Socks (£6.00) – These simple-but-effective socks have made the biggest difference to my everyday dealings with Raynauds. I buy mine at SportsDirect (2 pairs for £10) and although they’re bulkier than normal socks, they’re less cumbersome than welly socks and far, far warmer. An amazing recommendation by the good people of Twitter! I want a pair in every colour!
04: Gel Doctor Flosole (£14.95)* – These are great to have on standby if you know you’re going to be standing around in the cold for a considerable period of time. Kid’s football matches, bonfire night parades, whatever the event – these gel-filled insoles can be pre-heated in warm water before slipping them inside your boots and allowing you to benefit from a long-lasting toasty sensation. They also offer great cushioning between the soles of your feet and the hard ground below.
05: Microwaveable Slippers (£various) – Not the most practical things in the world (don’t try to walk in them!) but microwaveable slippers are great for slipping on when you’re sat at the computer or relaxing on the sofa. Just don’t overheat them and burn your feet, ouch!
06: Carnation SilverSock (£9.54)* – Made with pure silver fibre, the Carnation SilverSocks are designed to let your feet breathe whilst keeping them warm in winter and cool in the summer, they work well for me when thicker socks just won’t do. I also wear these when I’m out exercising… my lame attempts at running made slightly more bearable (and less stinky) by anti-bacterial beauties!
Do you suffer from super cold-feet in the Winter? Have any tips?
* press sample
Thank you for this! I also have Raynaud’s but I’m at the stage now where my feet are constantly ice cold and I actually now prefer them like that because they’re uncomfortable and alien when they get warm! I do have a limit as to how cold I’ll go, though so I like the sound of the Pedi roller and the SilverSocks.
I’d no idea there was such a thing as Raynaud’s. I suffer from it apparently, thankfully I don’t live in a cold place but everytime I go home in the winters, I have a tough time keeping my feet warm!
I have that! My mum used to get so worried because my feet would turn this greyish colour in the cold (think zombie flesh colour) and I kept losing feeling in my fingers.
Not such a great thing to have when you live in Scotland.
Welp, this is perfect timing! I’ve noticed this year that my circulation seems terrible – not sure why, last time it was bad was when I was on beta-blockers for anxiety, this year the only thing I’ve changed is my pill. My fingers and toes are constantly freezing, however warm the rest of me is, and I keep getting chilblains on my poor tootsies. Might go the doctor about it, but in the meantime I’m definitely getting some of those thermal socks, they look blissful!
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