It’s normal for your fingers and toes to go numb at some point in the wintertime. Who hasn’t spent an afternoon shoveling snow and come back inside to find that they can’t feel their digits despite the thickest of gloves?
But when the cold temperatures have a harsher effect on your extremities than they should—during a short walk from your front door to your car, or simply when you spend time in atmospheres below 60 degrees—you might have a condition known as Raynaud’s Syndrome (pronounced ray-NOHZ), which affects about 5 percent of the American population, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Raynaud’s Syndrome, also called Raynaud’s Phenomenon, affects people year-round, but it’s especially bad during cold seasons. Those who are affected have episodes of vasospasm, a narrowing of the arteries that limits circulation to your extremities: not only your fingers and toes but also your nose, lips, ears, and nipples. Sometimes these reactions can be brought on by stress, too.
In addition to numbness, vasospasms can cause a change in color to the skin. First the skin turns white, then blue. When someone with Reynaud’s warms up again or is relieved of stress, and their circulation starts to improve, the affected skin will redden and be struck with a tingling, prickling, or throbbing sensation. Episodes sometimes last for hours, and it can take up to 15 minutes upon warming up for normal blood flow to return. Because of this, Raynaud’s, though not disabling, can have a significant effect on a person’s quality of life.
Some people are more likely to develop Raynaud’s Syndrome than others. As the U.S. National Library of Medicine indicates, people who live in colder climates are more likely to develop it, and it is more common in people with family histories of it. It also tends to be more common in women than in men.
The big problem is that doctors don’t fully understand the cause of Raynaud’s Syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic; however, even though there is no cure, there are certain ways to prevent episodes from worsening or happening altogether.
First, there are the obvious measures: Bundle up if you have to go out in the cold, and try tucking small heat packs (like the ones you get at sporting good stores) into your gloves and socks for extra warmth. You should also let your car warm up by running your heater for a few minutes before making a drive in the snow.
Then there are the lifestyle changes you can make. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute encourages physical activity to get your blood flowing and keep you warm, as well as limited caffeine and alcohol consumption to prevent restrictive arteries.
Although primary Raynaud’s Syndrome, the most common form of it, is not associated with any health conditions, there is what’s known as secondary Raynaud’s Syndrome, which could be more serious because it’s linked to problems like connective tissue disease, carpal tunnel, injuries, medications, and, even, buildup of plaque in the arteries.
If your fingers feel frigid a little more than you suspect is normal, talk to your doctor about whether you might have Raynaud’s Syndome. In most cases, lifestyle changes will be enough to manage it, but in extreme cases, your doctor may recommend surgery to the nerves that control the arteries in your hands and feet, or you may need medicine like calcium channel blockers, alpha blockers, or prescription skin creams.
