3 tips against freezing with high blood pressure

You feel shivery, your hands and feet are cold, and you even shiver. Can high blood pressure make you feel cold? Yes, symptoms that can occur in connection with elevated blood pressure are the feeling of cold and shivering. But where does freezing come from with high blood pressure? Learn more about it in this article. Here we go.

Contents

Tip 1: Bye-bye constant freezing, hello exercise!

You kill two birds with one stone when you exercise regularly. Your body gets better blood circulation, which reduces freezing. At the same time, you lower your blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Tip 2: Eat a Mediterranean diet low in salt to reduce high blood pressure and freezing.

Lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, little sugar and processed foods: the Mediterranean cuisine has a lot to offer! It is recommended to lower elevated blood pressure. It can help improve blood flow to extremities such as hands and feet and make you feel less cold.

Tip 3: Tremors adé: Correctly adjust blood pressure-lowering medication.

Antihypertensive drugs - if properly adjusted - can reduce elevated blood pressure and thus also reduce the feeling of being cold and chilly. Do you still feel cold, especially in more extreme temperatures? Then talk to your doctor about adjusting your medication.

Freezing and blood pressure - How is it related?

Blood pressure is the force that pumps blood from the heart through the body. This supplies blood and nutrients to individual organs and extremities such as the hands and feet. If the Blood pressure elevated or too low, this can lead to a Undersupply of blood from certain parts of the body come. The result: we start to freeze.

By the way: In the article "What blood pressure values are normal?"In this section, you will learn at which blood pressure data one speaks of high blood pressure (med. hypertension) or too low blood pressure (med. hypotension).

Why do people with high blood pressure freeze?

There are several reasons for freezing in hypertension:

A possible Cause for a High blood pressure can in the body itself lie and, for example, through a Arteriosclerosis (med. atherosclerosis) are triggered. Thereby the Vessels narrowed or clogged. On the one hand, this means that the heart has to pump harder so that the blood can make its way through the vessels. On the other hand less blood passes through the vessels overall through, so that it can distribute worse in the bodye.g. in the hands and feet. Thus, we feel cold in these parts of the body. In this case we speak of the "somatic freezing".
Besides constricted vessels can also Stressful situations lead to high blood pressure. Maybe you always get cold hands and feet or even start shivering in stressful situations? High blood pressure and freezing under stress are common symptoms when we face a mentally challenging situation. In this case we speak of "mental freezing".
Also, some patients report Freezing after taking antihypertensive drugs as an undesirable side effect. Increased sensation of cold, Trembling and Freeze are considered to be Side effects of various antihypertensive drugs such as beta blockers.

Freezing in summer and winter

Are you affected by high blood pressure and freeze summer and winter?

Thus, the Outdoor temperature our blood pressure:

At Winter draw the Blood vessels contracted due to the cold, so that less blood can flow through them and the Blood pressure increases.
At Summer the blood vessels dilate due to the heat mostly to promote blood circulation and to be able to release heat better. The consequence: the Blood pressure decreases. Also, the heat is released in the form of sweat, so that our body cools down.

Especially in summer, the Taking blood pressure lowering medications can lead to the fact that the Blood pressure drops too much and no longer enough blood pumped to organs and extremities becomes. This can lead to a increased sensation of cold lead. At Winter especially extremely low temperatures lead to the fact that our body Stress hormones which is a good thing for our Blood pressure increased.

What can freezing indicate?

Freeze can be a symptom of high blood pressure, but can be also have another reason. Other Diseases and Situations can trigger the feeling of cold and freezing as well. Among other things Infections like Covid, Thyroid Diseases, Diabetes or mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders. If you are very often cold, you should discuss this with your doctor to clarify the presence of other illnesses.

Important: Extreme cold sensation and "Cold sweat", especially in connection with Nausea, stabbing pain in the chest or severe headache, may indicate cardiovascular disease such as a Heart attack or a hypertensive crisis indicate. Here it applies immediately to act and the Emergency doctor (112) at contact!

You want to use your Blood pressure data and Symptoms such as freezing or other cardiovascular complaints keep in view? Here helps you the Vantis Health Coach.

Extra tip: The medication and health coach

3 tips against freezing with high blood pressure

Freezing with high blood pressure can happen all year round. Let the following 3 tips become part of your hypertension treatment. Because a healthy blood pressure helps you with it, to say goodbye to the constant freezing!

Tip 1: Regular exercise and sports

Through Sport and exercise increases ourselves our Heart rate, so our heart beats more often. The Stimulates the Blood circulation of arms, legs, hands and feet to. More blood flows into it, so that the Feeling of cold and shivering reduced becomes. As a result, regular exercise and sport can alleviate the chills associated with high blood pressure and help to reduce the Lower blood pressure overall. The reduces the Risk from Cardiovascular disease. This way you kill two birds with one stone! You can find out how best to exercise as a heart patient in the articles "How should I exercise as a heart patient or with heart disease?" and "Sports after heart attack - Which sports are suitable for heart patients?". Sports exercises in video format, which are suitable for elevated blood pressure, can be found in the Vantis movement coach.

Extra tip: The personal Vantis movement coach

Tip 2: Eat Mediterranean to freeze less

Did you know that a mediterranean diet can help you freeze less? Food like Fruit, Vegetables, Whole grain products and Olive oil can help to reduce the Blood pressure at lower and the Risk of cardiovascular disease at reduce. Especially easy to implement these foods in the Mediterranean diet! Learn more in the article "The heart healthy Mediterranean diet".

As good as possible avoid you should Food, the high amounts of Sodium - so Salt - contain (e.g. convenience foods, sausage). Salt increases blood pressure. The same applies to the consumption of very sugary foods (e.g. sweets, soft drinks) and Foods with a lot of "bad" fatty acids like fried foods. These foods can Arteriosclerosis (med. atherosclerosis) and thus increase blood pressure. Also a excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine can have a negative effect on blood pressure.

You want to use your Change diet? Then take a look at the Vantis nutrition coach an.

Extra tip: Nutrition coach

Tip 3: Properly adjusted medication

There are a variety of Medication, that can lower blood pressure, like ACE inhibitors, Beta-blocker and Calcium channel blocker. Many people with high blood pressure are prescribed these medications by their doctor. Correctly adjusted, help usually reliable to lower blood pressure and thus also Reduce freezing due to high blood pressure. By the way, you can also learn more about antihypertensive drugs on our Medication overview page.

Should you feel that you have despite the correct intake Of your medicines Freeze strongly, speak You your Doctor on it to. Especially with strong temperature fluctuations - especially in the winter and summer - it may be advisable for heart patients to use your Readjust medication to let

By the way: The Vantis Medication Coach helps you to daily to Your Medication to think about and record any side effects that occur. This way, you can easily discuss symptoms such as an increased sensation of cold, freezing and shivering at your next doctor's appointment.

Extra tip: The medication and health coach

You want more tips?

Then make our Vantis heart age test and get a individual evaluation and more information, in which areas of life (e.g. nutrition, exercise) you can do something for your blood pressure and heart health!

Safety note for heart patients

If in doubt, especially if you are a heart patient or at increased risk of heart attack or other heart disease, always consult your physician. If you suspect a heart attack, contact the emergency number 112 immediately.

References

Treede, R.-D. The somatosensory system. In Human physiology; Schmidt, R. F., Lang, F., Eds; Springer textbook; Springer Berlin Heidelberg: Berlin, Heidelberg, 2007; pp 296-323. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32910-7_14.
Knuuti, J.; Wijns, W.; Saraste, A.; Capodanno, D.; Barbato, E.; Funck-Brentano, C.; Prescott, E.; Storey, R. F.; Deaton, C.; Cuisset, T.; Agewall, S.; Dickstein, K.; Edvardsen, T.; Escaned, J.; Gersh, B. J.; Svitil, P.; Gilard, M.; Hasdai, D.; Hatala, R.; Mahfoud, F.; Masip, J.; Muneretto, C.; Valgimigli, M.; Achenbach, S.; Bax, J. J.; ESC Scientific Document Group; Neumann, F.-.J.; Sechtem, U.; Banning, A. P.; Bonaros, N.; Bueno, H.; Bugiardini, R.; Chieffo, A.; Crea, F.; Czerny, M.; Delgado, V.; Dendale, P.; Flachskampf, F. A.; Gohlke, H.; Grove, E. L.; James, S.; Katritsis, D.; Landmesser, U.; Lettino, M.; Matter, C. M.; Nathoe, H.; Niessner, A.; Patrono, C.; Petronio, A. S.; Pettersen, S. E.; Piccolo, R.; Piepoli, M. F.; Popescu, B. A.; Räber, L.; Richter, D. J.; Roffi, M.; Roithinger, F. X.; Shlyakhto, E.; Sibbing, D.; Silber, S.; Simpson, I. A.; Sousa-Uva, M.; Vardas, P.; Witkowski, A.; Zamorano, J. L.; Achenbach, S.; Agewall, S.; Barbato, E.; Bax, J. J.; Capodanno, D.; Cuisset, T.; Deaton, C.; Dickstein, K.; Edvardsen, T.; Escaned, J.; Funck-Brentano, C.; Gersh, B. J.; Gilard, M.; Hasdai, D.; Hatala, R.; Mahfoud, F.; Masip, J.; Muneretto, C.; Prescott, E.; Saraste, A.; Storey, R. F.; Svitil, P.; Valgimigli, M.; Windecker, S.; Aboyans, V.; Baigent, C.; Collet, J.-.P.; Dean, V.; Delgado, V.; Fitzsimons, D.; Gale, C. P.; Grobbee, D.; Halvorsen, S.; Hindricks, G.; Iung, B.; Jüni, P.; Katus, H. A.; Landmesser, U.; Leclercq, C.; Lettino, M.; Lewis, B. S.; Merkely, B.; Mueller, C.; Petersen, S.; Petronio, A. S.; Richter, D. J.; Roffi, M.; Shlyakhto, E.; Simpson, I. A.; Sousa-Uva, M.; Touyz, R. M.; Benkhedda, S.; Metzler, B.; Sujayeva, V.; Cosyns, B.; Kusljugic, Z.; Velchev, V.; Panayi, G.; Kala, P.; Haahr-Pedersen, S. A.; Kabil, H.; Ainla, T.; Kaukonen, T.; Cayla, G.; Pagava, Z.; Woehrle, J.; Kanakakis, J.; Tóth, K.; Gudnason, T.; Peace, A.; Aronson, D.; Riccio, C.; Elezi, S.; Mirrakhimov, E.; Hansone, S.; Sarkis, A.; Babarskiene, R.; Beissel, J.; Maempel, A. J. C.; Revenco, V.; de Grooth, G. J.; Pejkov, H.; Juliebø, V.; Lipiec, P.; Santos, J.; Chioncel, O.; Duplyakov, D.; Bertelli, L.; Dikic, A. D.; Studenčan, M.; Bunc, M.; Alfonso, F.; Bäck, M.; Zellweger, M.; Addad, F.; Yildirir, A.; Sirenko, Y.; Clapp, B. 2019 ESC Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Coronary Syndromes. Eur. Heart J. 2020, 41 (3), 407-477. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz425.
Hollstein, G. Pschyrembel Online | Cold Shower. https://www.pschyrembel.de/K%C3%A4lteschauer/P06MK (abgerufen am 20.01.2023).
Alpérovitch, A.; Lacombe, J.-M.; Hanon, O.; Dartigues, J.-F.; Ritchie, K.; Ducimetière, P.; Tzourio, C. Relationship between Blood Pressure and Outdoor Temperature in a Large Sample of Elderly Individuals: The Three-City Study. Arch. Intern. Med. 2009, 169 (1), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2008.512.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes. healthinformation.com. https://www.gesundheitsinformation.de/ueber-und-unterzuckerung-bei-typ-2-diabetes.html (accessed Jan. 20, 2023).
Hershman, J.M. Hypothyroidism - hormonal and metabolic disorders. MSD Manual Ausgabe für Patienten. https://www.msdmanuals.com/de-de/heim/hormon-und-stoffwechselerkrankungen/schilddr%C3%BCsenerkrankungen/schilddr%C3%BCsenunterfunktion (abgerufen am 20.01.2023).
Ranya, N. S.; Jivan, A.. Acute myocardial infarction - cardiovascular diseases. MSD Manual Professional Edition. https://www.msdmanuals.com/de-de/profi/herz-kreislauf-krankheiten/koronare-herzkrankheit/akuter-myokardinfarkt-mi?query=herzinfarkt (accessed Jan. 20, 2023).
Bakris, G. L. Hypertensive emergencies - Cardiovascular diseases. MSD Manual Profi-Ausgabe. https://www.msdmanuals.com/de-de/profi/herz-kreislauf-krankheiten/hypertonie/hypertensive-notf%C3%A4lle (abgerufen am 23.01.2023).
Pelliccia, A.; Sharma, S.; Gati, S.; Bäck, M.; Börjesson, M.; Caselli, S.; Collet, J.-.P.; Corrado, D.; Drezner, J. A.; Halle, M.; Hansen, D.; Heidbuchel, H.; Myers, J.; Niebauer, J.; Papadakis, M.; Piepoli, M. F.; Prescott, E.; Roos-Hesselink, J. W.; Graham Stuart, A.; Taylor, R. S.; Thompson, P. D..; Tiberi, M.; Vanhees, L.; Wilhelm, M.; ESC Scientific Document Group; Guazzi, M.; La Gerche, A.; Aboyans, V.; Adami, P. E.; Backs, J.; Baggish, A.; Basso, C.; Biffi, A.; Bucciarelli-Ducci, C.; Camm, A. J.; Claessen, G.; Delgado, V.; Elliott, P. M.; Galderisi, M.; Gale, C. P.; Gray, B.; Haugaa, K. H.; Iung, B.; Katus, H. A.; Keren, A.; Leclercq, C.; Lewis, B. S.; Mont, L.; Mueller, C.; Petersen, S. E.; Petronio, A. S.; Roffi, M.; Savonen, K.; Serratosa, L.; Shlyakhto, E.; Simpson, I. A.; Sitges, M.; Solberg, E. E.; Sousa-Uva, M.; Van Craenenbroeck, E.; Van De Heyning, C.; Wijns, W.; Gati, S.; Bäck, M.; Börjesson, M.; Caselli, S.; Collet, J.-.P.; Corrado, D.; Drezner, J. A.; Halle, M.; Hansen, D.; Heidbuchel, H.; Myers, J.; Niebauer, J.; Papadakis, M.; Piepoli, M. F.; Prescott, E.; Roos-Hesselink, J. W.; Stuart, A. G.; Taylor, R. S.; Thompson, P. D.; Tiberi, M.; Vanhees, L.; Wilhelm, M.; Tahmi, M.; Zelveian, P. H.; Berger, T.; Gabulova, R.; Sudzhaeva, S.; Lancellotti, P.; Sokolović, Š.; Gruev, I.; Velagic, V.; Nicolaides, E.; Tuka, V.; Rasmusen, H.; Khamis, H.; Viigimaa, M.; Laukkanen, J. A.; Bosser, G.; Hambrecht, R.; Kasiakogias, A.; Merkely, B.; Gunnarsson, G. T.; McAdam, B.; Keren, A.; Perrone-Filardi, P.; Bajraktari, G.; Mirrakhimov, E.; Rozenštoka, S.; Marinskis, G.; Banu, C.; Abela, M.; Vataman, E.; Belada, N.; Belghiti, H.; Jorstad, H. T.; Srbinovska-Kostovska, E.; Haugaa, K.; Główczyńska, R.; Dores, H.; Mitu, F.; Smolensky, A.; Foscoli, M.; Nedeljkovic, I.; Farsky, S.; Fras, Z.; Boraita, A.; Sörenssen, P.; Schmied, C.; Bsata, W.; Zakhama, L.; Uzun, M.; Nesukay, E.; Rakhit, D. 2020 ESC Guidelines on Sports Cardiology and Exercise in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease. Eur. Heart J. 2021, 42 (1), 17-96. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa605.
Bai, L.; Li, Q.; Wang, J.; Lavigne, E.; Gasparrini, A.; Copes, R.; Yagouti, A.; Burnett, R. T.; Goldberg, M. S.; Cakmak, S.; Chen, H. Increased Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Hospitalizations from Ambient Temperatures in Ontario. Heart 2018, 104 (8), 673-679. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2017-311821.

3 tips against freezing with high blood pressure

At a glance

Tip 1: Bye-bye constant freezing, hello exercise!

Tip 2: Eat a Mediterranean diet low in salt to reduce high blood pressure and freezing.

Tip 3: Tremors adé: Correctly adjust blood pressure-lowering medication.

Freezing and blood pressure - How is it related?