What Sickness Makes You Feel Like You're Freezing? Common Causes Explained

October 2, 2025 •

3 min read

According to Verywell Health, a person feeling cold when others are not is known as cold intolerance. It is often a symptom of underlying medical conditions, and understanding what sickness makes you feel like you're freezing is the first step toward finding relief.

Quick Summary

A persistent feeling of being cold can signal a variety of health issues, such as hypothyroidism impacting your metabolism, anemia affecting blood oxygen levels, or circulatory conditions like Raynaud's phenomenon that restrict blood flow to the extremities.

Key Points

Hypothyroidism is a major cause: An underactive thyroid slows down metabolism, leading to a reduced ability to generate body heat.
Anemia affects oxygen transport: A lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin means less oxygen reaches your tissues, impacting temperature regulation and causing cold hands and feet.
Infections can cause chills: A fever is your body's way of fighting infection, and the rapid muscle contractions (chills) create a freezing sensation.
Raynaud's restricts blood flow: This condition causes blood vessels in the extremities to spasm, resulting in cold, numb fingers and toes.
Circulatory issues play a role: Conditions like Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) can obstruct blood flow to the limbs, causing them to feel cold.
Lifestyle matters: Factors like low body weight, dehydration, and certain medications can also make you more sensitive to cold temperatures.

Underlying Health Conditions Causing Cold Sensations

Many factors, both medical and environmental, can influence how we perceive temperature. While dressing warmly is a simple solution for chilly weather, a persistent, unusual feeling of coldness warrants further investigation. Here are some of the most common medical explanations.

Hypothyroidism: The Slowed Metabolism

Your thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate metabolism and body temperature. When the thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism), this process slows down, leading to a diminished production of body heat.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism often develop gradually and may include:

Fatigue and sluggishness
Weight gain
Dry skin
Thinning hair
Constipation

Anemia: A Lack of Oxygen-Rich Blood

Anemia occurs when your body doesn't have enough red blood cells or the protein hemoglobin to carry oxygen to your tissues. This shortage can disrupt temperature regulation, making you feel cold, especially in your hands and feet.

Causes of anemia include iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies. Other symptoms may be:

Fatigue and weakness
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Shortness of breath
Headaches

Raynaud's Phenomenon: Spasming Blood Vessels

For individuals with Raynaud's, smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin, particularly in the fingers and toes, spasm and narrow in response to cold or stress. This reduces blood flow to the extremities, causing them to feel cold, numb, and change color.

Infections: The Fever Connection

When you have an infection, like the flu, your immune system releases chemicals (pyrogens) to raise your body's temperature and fight the illness. This can trigger a reflex that results in severe shivering and chills, causing you to feel freezing even when you have a fever.

Other Significant Medical Issues

Several other health problems can induce a constant feeling of coldness:

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): Plaque buildup in the arteries restricts blood flow to the legs and feet, causing them to feel cold.
Anorexia Nervosa: This eating disorder, characterized by extreme food restriction, leads to a loss of insulating body fat, causing individuals to feel excessively cold.
Fibromyalgia: This chronic condition, which causes widespread body pain, is often associated with heightened sensitivity to both heat and cold.
Peripheral Neuropathy: Nerve damage from diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, or other causes can disrupt temperature sensation, making certain areas, like the hands and feet, feel cold.

A Comparison of Conditions Causing Cold Sensations

To help differentiate between potential causes, this table summarizes the key symptoms associated with various conditions.


Condition	Primary Mechanism	Key Accompanying Symptoms	Affected Areas	Onset
Hypothyroidism	Slowed metabolism reduces heat production.	Fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, thinning hair.	Generalized	Gradual
Anemia	Reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.	Fatigue, weakness, dizziness, pale skin.	Generalized; prominent in extremities.	Gradual
Raynaud's	Spasms of blood vessels in extremities.	Numbness, tingling, color changes (white, blue, red).	Fingers, toes, ears, nose.	Triggered by cold or stress.
Infection	Immune response to fight off illness.	Fever, shivering, aches, sore throat.	Generalized	Sudden
PAD	Blocked arteries restrict blood flow.	Pain or numbness in legs, slow-healing sores.	Legs and feet.	Progressive
Anorexia Nervosa	Low body fat and malnutrition.	Significant weight loss, fatigue, stomach problems.	Generalized	Progressive

Lifestyle Factors and When to See a Doctor

Sometimes, lifestyle choices can contribute to feeling cold. Dehydration disrupts the body's ability to regulate temperature, and certain medications, including some beta-blockers and antidepressants, can impact circulation. Furthermore, a lack of sleep can also affect body temperature regulation.

If you experience a new or worsening intolerance to cold, or if it's accompanied by other concerning symptoms, it is always wise to consult a healthcare provider. A doctor can perform a physical examination and order blood tests to determine the underlying cause and recommend appropriate treatment.

For more in-depth medical information on various symptoms and conditions, you can visit the Cleveland Clinic website. This trusted resource offers comprehensive details on numerous health topics, helping you make informed decisions about your well-being.

Conclusion

The sensation of being constantly cold can be a signal from your body that something is amiss. While it can stem from common issues like dehydration or a simple infection, it's also a hallmark symptom of more serious conditions such as hypothyroidism, anemia, and Raynaud's phenomenon. By paying attention to other symptoms and seeking professional medical advice when needed, you can address the root cause and find relief from the chill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, low iron levels can lead to iron-deficiency anemia, which reduces the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Without enough oxygen, your body has trouble regulating its temperature, causing you to feel cold.

Feeling cold and shivering (chills) is a common response to infection and fever as the body's immune system works to raise your core temperature. However, not all infections will cause chills, and sometimes you can feel cold without a fever.

In addition to feeling cold, hypothyroidism can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, and constipation. A doctor can diagnose the condition with a simple blood test.

Raynaud's is a condition where small blood vessels, typically in the fingers and toes, spasm in response to cold or stress. This temporarily cuts off blood flow, causing the digits to feel cold and numb and turn white or blue.

While feeling cold can often be tied to a minor issue, a new or worsening cold intolerance can be a sign of a serious underlying condition. It's important to see a healthcare provider if you have any concerns or other troubling symptoms.

Dehydration can disrupt your body's temperature regulation. When severely dehydrated, your body may reduce blood flow to your extremities to keep your core organs warm, making your hands and feet feel colder.

Yes. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can contribute to anemia and nerve damage (neuropathy), both of which can cause cold sensations in the extremities.