Feeling Cold

[Natty_Knitter]

Does anyone feel really cold with AF?

My partner says he feels cold all the time when he always used to be rather than me.

[Rainfern]

Yes, definitely feeling the cold more. The heart is having to work harder to keep us warm. But also I think it has messed with my thermostat a bit as equally I get too hot and take longer to cool down. I treat myself to big sweaters and keep heating on when I’m feeling vulnerable like after recent ablation. Looking after the whole system helps the heart.

[Natty_Knitter in reply to Rainfern]

Thanks for your reply. Have to put the heating on more (despite the cost)

[Rainfern in reply to Natty_Knitter]

Yes the cost is the problem. I use an oil filled heater to keep a single room warm at night when it gets very cold and a little portable alpha heater to get a room to temperature fast. But I haven’t worked out if this really is cheaper than central heating!

[GrannyE in reply to Rainfern]

I sometimes have to use my electric under blanket for a short while to heat up the bed and wear bed socks and a bed jacket. I have an electrical heated cushion for the real winter and a very warm fleecy blanket which goes over me when sitting on the sofa with my feet up in the evening.

[GrannyE in reply to Rainfern]

Me too. It seems that my thermostat is also mixed up

[Finvola]

When I started Bisoprolol I was always cold and developed chilblains on my fingers and toes. Haven't had the problem in years but I am probably used to my beta blocker (Nebivolol) now and I do dress more warmly.

[Natty_Knitter in reply to Finvola]

Thanks - I think he is so used to being hot in the past that it is a big change to assimilate.

[Wodney1966]

Hi yes I'm always cold even in summer I've just put it down to my conditions lol

[Cavalierrubie]

Yes l do. I did a post on here some time ago asking if anticoagulants make you feel the cold. I got lots of replies from people saying that they did. So if it is them, or AF, or just getting old…………. Nothing we can do except thank God for thermals. 😂😂😂

[pusillanimous in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Personally, I think it's just part of aging!

[BenHall1]

Hi,

Back in the day for the first 18 months after diagnosis .... I was forever cold AND incredibly tired too, would sleep for England. I'd go to bed .. and I kid you not .. would be fully clothed, have thick socks on and my extremities fingers, toes would be ice cold ( yet to touch they all felt normal ). At the time I was on 5mg Bisoprolol daily, taken at night. I've stayed with Bisoprolol until August this year when I changed my beta blocker to Nebivolol ( 2.5 mg ). I can still remember going to bed with an electric blanket on the bed ( switched on ) and hugging a hot water bottle. ( Not a very sensible combo I know but thats how cold I was ). Eventually the coldness as I've described wore off and I returned to normal ... however, now some 12 years later I am still sensitive to cold but nowhere like in the early days. My own personal take is that it is the beta blocker at work trying to slow the heart into some sort of regular beat ... there were many times when my overnight sleeping HR would drop around to 44 bpm while my daytime HR hovered around 64 and this pattern stayed until I changed to Nebivolol. Nowadays my sleeping HR is around the 60 bpm and daytime HR around 74 bpm and I feel heaps better and no coldness.

John

[BobD Volunteer]

My thinks tis not the condition but the drugs.

[Teresa156]

I’m with Bob,

Is he on a beta blocker? They can make you feel cold. I used propanolol only once as a PIP and my feet were like ice. I don’t get it with Bisoprolol but I am on a very low dose.

It is a known side effect with some, if he is on a beta blocker, it might be worth speaking to GP if it’s very bad.

[Natty_Knitter in reply to Teresa156]

He is on Bisoprolol not sure of the does I'll get him to mention it to his Cardiologist. We are in an old Victorian house so can get chilly I'll light the stove earlier.

[jeanjeannie50]

I always felt cold and needed to sleep afternoons, then I discovered I had an underactive thyroid. Medication to put that right made me warm and more alive again.

Jean

[Natty_Knitter in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks for your reply. He is already on thyroid medication. I think maybe he needs a review of his meds but they want to wait until after his ablation (whenever that might be)

[Cavalierrubie in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes, you have a point there Jean. Perhaps worth having a chat with GP and get his opinion if it is worrying anyone. I believe there can be other reasons. My daughter lost her husband and suffered extreme cold for months. The GP said it was a symptom of grief, so there you are ……. It is important to keep warm, so l put lots of clothes on and l don’t keep warm in the winter unless l use thermals and 100 per cent wool sweaters. Fleece doesn’t do it for me.

[opal11uk]

Yes, always but I think this is due to taking anticoagulants more than the A/F itself.

[Suesouth]

Yes, never used to, but do now!

[Singwell]

The combination of hypothyroidism and perhaps the type of medication are worth looking into. I definitely felt the cold more and generally less energised on Bisoprolol. That noticeably improved in my case when I switched to Flecainide, which controlled my rhythm and had less effect on my rate. I was at the time also subclinical hypothyroid and not treated. Whenever I need an adjustment to my dose of levothyroxine I'll feel cold especially in the mornings.

0ne simple thing I do that always helps - wrap up well and go for a 20 minute walk. Gets things moving and seems to help the metabolism adjust.

[ElizabethBee]

I always suffered with overheating until I started taking Edoxaban a couple of months ago. Now even on the mildest days, I need the warmth that covering my arms brings. This anticoagulant has definitely thinned my blood.

[CDreamer in reply to ElizabethBee]

You blood viscosity doesn’t change - anticoagulants prevent clots - not literally ‘thin’ the blood.. But I do think some people react to some medication in different ways.

I also think because we have AF there is a connection with the ANS which controls body temperature. See my reply below.

[Beeflower]

Yes I do , I think it’s because I’m on blood thinners

[CDreamer]

I agree with Bob - it can be some of the drugs but it’s not anticoagulants for me. I used to have huge problems with keeping warm when on heart drugs but since I stopped taking them I am toasty warm whilst my husband who is on a battery of meds is always cold.

I also have had autonomic nervous system dysfunction and when that goes out of whack I just cannot get warm at all.

May I suggest you use blankets when at rest, even in a warm room. You can also buy an electric fleecy blanket made for sitting room rest which uses very little electricity for extra warmth - works really well.

Just finished making my two grandchildren Oodies - oversized fleecy wearable blankets - it the latest thing so could be fashionable as well!

[oscarfox49]

That is definitely the case for me, though I attribute it to the beta blocker I take rather than just the AF. It is by far worse in the morning and once I get active during the day I suffer rather less. I cannot say that I feel more cold when the AF is particularly bad rather than just 'normal' though; I can see the logic in a less efficient heart not enabling us to control temperature in the same way though.

[Silvasava]

I'm on Nebivolol and Thyroxine among others. My feet, hands and nose are nearly always cold or like ice. The trick is to heat the body rather than the room and in view of that I bought a heated throw. It's been a godsend and cheap to run. My husband is usually warm so we only turn on the heating if he's feeling chilly as I can snuggle under my throw. HTH

[Natty_Knitter in reply to Silvasava]

Yes we do go for that method - I think he's just adjusting as not used to feeling the cold.

[Alphakiwi]

Used to be a very handy club cyclist. Noticed i started feeling the cold mornings a lot more than ever. Then my climbing ability dropped. Then i started noticing heart rate going up more than ever. It turned out to be AF.

[Crystalbowl]

Yes, I am nearly always cold and find it hard to keep warm despite multiple layers of clothing. My hands and feet are a particular issue but I don’t know if it is entirely related to my heart (AF andHF) or to the fact that I am very thin.

[san_ray70]

I am lucky even though my husband has been diagnosed with A.F. he is warm most of the time. I expected him to feel cold but I was wrong, he still keeps me warm in bed.

[BobDRedfish]

Depend on what medication he is on I'm guessing (assuming he is).For the first year or so after starting medication I would get cold really easily. Extremities would get cold really easily, even in nice weather. My core temperature would drop if it was even slightly nippy out and that would take a long time, hot drinks and a hot water bottle to bring back up.

However, after my body adjusted to the medication this has pretty much gone away as an issue.

[Clarrie]

Yes I am always cold, even in the summer have to wear a jacket. My husband calls me the "Ice Maiden".

[Tplongy]

Hi Natty,

I have persistent AF, and persistent cold.

Was on blood thinners which were stopped 4 months ago, still cold.

Was also on Flecainide Feb - a month ago, then stopped, still cold.

Was on Bisoprolol which made me feel dreadful so after months, changed 4 months ago to Calcium Channel Blocker Diltizem - still cold.

So having stopped blood thinners, stopped beta blockers and Flecainide - now on CCB - it can't be the former making feel cold as both stopped.

Therefore by process of elimination, it seems to be either (a) just the AF or (b) any kind of heart medication.

Bizarrely, yes my hands and feet get cold, but the worst for me is my neck of all things. All thru the summer I have to wear a light scarf all the time even whilst in the house as my neck and chest feel so chilled. Polo neck stock up for me this winter

Hope your hubbies coldness settles soon.... bbbrrr

[BrotherThomas]

Yep, cold hands and feet but the rest is good. I wear bedsocks at night and two pairs of socks during the day. I find that the microfleece fingerless support gloves sold for arthritis sufferers keep my hands warm during the day and allow me to do what I need to do.

[healingharpist]

Hi Natty, My GP "warned" me when I started a beta-blocker (metoprolol) that my fingers & toes might start to feel cold. I don't notice that too often. But one thing we know from this forum--we can each have different reactions to meds & to the disease process itself, so I'm not surprised to hear how many feel colder in their core temp from taking anti-coagulants, beta-blockers, etc. I ended up with a lot of numbness in feet & legs, and I've given up trying to find out the culprit (other than the obvious one, flecainide, which I only take PIP). Sending you warm thoughts! Diane S

[minidoxie]

I'm on Metoprolol 2x a day for my a-fib (the only meds Im on so far) & my husband complains he doesnt want to hold hands with me bc my hands are always soooo cold. I dont notice it that much, but when I do touch his hands I really feel the difference.

Also as other people have mentioned, I have a perpetual runny nose.....

[Lenaropes]

I would guess it is medication related. Most cardiac meds including anti hypertensive are vaso dialators. When there is increased peripheral blood flow, ( to the skin) heat and cold sensation is enhanced. So decreased tolerance.

[Sustainedvtach270]

I am on betablocker sotalol 80g twice a day. After the 2nd dose that I take at lunch, if I sit all afternoon, my feet would get cold and my fingers numb. What helps me the most is to be active, I walk about 10000 steps and swim almost every day. To work on my slow nasal breathing also helps. Slow nasal breathing helps to circulate the blood better.

[Chuyueling]

Yes, my mum definitely feels the cold markedly more than before. Her age and weight will be a factor, but mostly the AF treatment I think. Wearing wool helps!

[Dollcollector]

My feet are always icy cold even when the rest of my body is warm. I put it down to my inefficient heart not circulating my blood properly.

[Jetcat]

I feel too warm all time to be honest. Even before the AFIB diagnosis.!! Doctors told me not to worry about it but it does natter me sometimes.?

I need it cool all time. I also need air blowing around me all time.!! We have a log burner in room and although it’s nice in the winter I have to stand outside sometimes because of the warmth but my wife says it’s just perfect.😳😳

[momist]

If you are really a knitter, then I'm preaching to the converted. However, what helped me was rediscovering the magic of real wool (not acrylic, polyester, nylon etc. etc.). In winter now I wear wool vests (look in hiking shops like Mountain warehouse for merino wool) and always real wool socks. When it's very cold, woollen long johns are a good idea (also hiking shops). My winter socks are now all self knitted. Socks should have 20 - 25% nylon and the rest wool. The "wool rich" type usually have about 15% wool 🙄

BTW, wool garments don't need washing anything like so often. I can wear a wool vest for two weeks, and it still doesn't smell or feel dirty. Wash carefully.

[Natty_Knitter in reply to momist]

I certainly am a knitter🙂 and I also knit all my socks.