Spiritual Meaning of Cold Hands and Feet

Many people have cold hands or feet. For some, the cold feet and hands are present all the time.

Also, these symptoms can occur more often during night-time sleep for a very simple reason – during sleep, individuals have reduced oxygen levels in body cells.

Continue reading to learn about the causes and spiritual meaning of cold feet and hands.

Causes of Cold Extremities

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition that develops when your thyroid gland doesn’t make sufficient thyroid hormone.

About 4.6% of the United States population ages 12 and older has hypothyroidism. Up to 60% of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition.

The thyroid gland regulates your metabolism, therefore, a slow metabolism can produce these symptoms.

Poor Circulation

This is one of the most frequent causes of cold feet.

Poor circulation can make it substantially difficult for enough warm blood to get to the body’s extremities regularly, keeping them cooler than the rest of the body.

One main cause of decreased circulation is atherosclerosis (also referred to as hardening of the arteries), where arteries are narrowed by fatty deposits that impede blood flow in the limbs.

As a result, your feet may appear pale or white when you are lying down, or blue or purple when you are sitting.

Other causes of poor circulation include:

diabetes;
obesity;
sedentarism.

Raynaud’s Disease

It is a medical condition in which spasm of arteries causes episodes of reduced blood flow. It often co-occurs with certain chronic diseases that impact mortality.

According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, primary Raynaud’s affects about 3% of the general population.

Raynaud’s disease commonly causes your fingers and toes to feel numb and cold, usually when they are exposed to cold temperatures.

Medications

Migraine medications, beta-blockers (a class of medications that are used to treat hypertension), and some OTC cold medications have been associated with cold hands and feet.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are too high. World Health Organization estimates that diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in 2017.

In people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, elevated blood sugar (glucose) causes narrowing of capillaries and arteries which impair blood supply to tissues leading to cold feet symptoms.

Symptoms for type 2 diabetes symptoms include:

patches of dark skin;
frequent urination;
pain in the hands or feet;
increased thirst;
slow healing of wounds;
blurry vision;
feeling very tired;
always feeling hungry.

Important note – diabetes is a primary cause of lower limb amputation, stroke, heart attacks, kidney failure, and blindness.

Smoking

Smoking tobacco constricts blood vessels.

Ultimately, the nerves become weak and damaged.

Lupus

Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disease in which your immune system malfunctions, prompting your physical body to attack its own tissues.

Symptoms include inflammation, swelling, and damage to the skin, kidneys, blood, joints, heart, and lungs.

In addition, lupus may be a contributor to cold hands and feet.

Anemia

Regular bouts of cold hands and feet may be the result of anemia, a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to transport adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues.

If this happens, the body cannot function properly.

Stress

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. But, being in a state of high stress may also cause cold hands and feet.

Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms of cold hands and feet may include:

your feet feel cold, like blocks of ice;
you may have cramping which occurs in your legs;
you may complain of aching feet or swollen feet/legs;
feet and hands color ranges from red to purple-blue to pale white;
you might feel numbness or pins and needles.