As a hand-arthritis sufferer, I was particularly interested in this notice from the Mayo Clinic.
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Winter’s chill can be especially hard on the fingers and toes if you have arthritis or a condition such as Raynaud’s disease that affects blood circulation. To maintain warmth and comfort:
- Encourage circulation — Wiggle or massage your fingers and toes. Move your arms in a windmill circle or shake your arms and legs.
- Choose mittens — Mittens offer more warmth than do gloves. Look for a pair that’s insulated with wool or fleece.
- Double up — Wear two pairs of socks. For the layer closest to your skin, look for a moisture wicking fabric. On top, choose a wool or wool-blend sock.
- Carry hand and foot warmers — Small charcoal or chemical packs that generate a low level of heat can be placed in your mittens, socks or boots. Battery-powered options also are available. You can find warmers of all types in many sporting goods stores.
- Warm with water — Soak your hands or feet in warm — not hot — water or place cold hands under running warm water.
- Try specialty gloves — Therapeutic gloves designed for people with Raynaud’s disease may help.
- Exercise regularly — Regular physical activity helps increase blood flow to the body’s tissues.
- Don’t smoke — Smoking narrows the blood vessels, which can restrict circulation.
If the cold is bothersome despite your efforts, talk to your doctor. Let your doctor know if your fingers or toes feel numb or painful, or turn white or blue.
I would just like to add to this from my own experience. I have found glove-mitts to be particularly warming, especially when riding my bike. They allow the fingers to warm each other much better than the fingers in gloves do. I bought these on Amazon for less than $20.
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I really enjoyed this post! I have Raynauds, so this was very helpful. My hands are almost always a purplish color during the winter. I have a really hard time getting circulation to them. This was helpful!
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Thanks for sharing, Grace. Very happy to have helped. 😇 DO check out those glove-mitts I mentioned at the end. I wear them riding my bike in cold weather and they work better than the expensive goose down ski gloves I bought.
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