What causes cold body temperature?
Sep 01, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
Insufficient secretion of thyroid hormones reduces the body's metabolic rate and decreases heat production, leading to symptoms of cold intolerance such as feeling cold easily, cold extremities, and cold body. These symptoms may be accompanied by fatigue and excessive sleepiness. Doctors generally recommend the use of levothyroxine sodium tablets, thyroid extract tablets, or Guifu Dihuang Pills to supplement hormone levels and enhance metabolic heat production.
Body coldness may be caused by genetic factors, long-term irregular作息 (作息紊乱 translates to irregular作息, but it's better to use the English loanword here for accuracy), spleen and stomach deficiency-cold, hypothyroidism, iron-deficiency anemia, and other conditions. If abnormalities occur, timely medical consultation is recommended. Detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Genetic factors: Some families have a genetic predisposition toward body coldness. Genetic factors may affect the body's basal metabolic rate and yang energy reserves, resulting in individuals having inherently weaker heat production capabilities, manifested as body coldness. Daily attention should be paid to overall warmth, especially areas prone to cold exposure such as hands, feet, waist, and abdomen, to reduce cold invasion.
2. Long-term irregular作息: Long-term熬夜 (staying up late) or inverted day-night schedules consume the body's yang energy, affect endocrine and metabolic functions, and lead to yang deficiency, making the body insufficiently warm, resulting in body coldness.作息 should be adjusted to ensure regular sleep, and methods such as foot soaking before sleep or moxibustion may be used to assist in replenishing yang energy.
3. Spleen and stomach deficiency-cold: Long-term irregular diet or excessive consumption of raw, cold, or cooling foods may damage the spleen and stomach's yang energy, weaken the digestive and transformation functions of the spleen and stomach, and cause body coldness, often accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal distension and loose stools. Treatment should be guided by a physician using traditional Chinese medicine formulas such as Fuzi LIZHONG Wan (Aconite Root and Rhemannia Pills), Xiangsha Liujun Wan (Cardamom and Ginseng Pills), or Wen Wei Shu Capsules to restore digestive and transformation functions.
4. Hypothyroidism: Insufficient secretion of thyroid hormones reduces the body's metabolic rate, decreases heat production, and causes symptoms such as cold intolerance, cold limbs, and body coldness, often accompanied by fatigue and excessive sleepiness. Physicians generally recommend medications such as levothyroxine sodium tablets, thyroid tablets, or Guifu Dihuang Wan to supplement hormone levels and enhance metabolic heat production.
5. Iron-deficiency anemia: Lack of iron in the body leads to insufficient hemoglobin synthesis, reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, causes inadequate oxygen supply to body tissues and organs, decreases heat production, and results in body coldness, accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue. Under medical guidance, patients may take ferrous sulfate tablets, iron fumarate granules, or Danggui Buxue Granules to replenish iron and improve anemia.
In daily life, it is advisable to consume more warm-natured foods such as lamb, ginger, and red dates, and engage in moderate physical activities such as brisk walking or Tai Chi to promote blood circulation.
