Can Cold Sensitivity Cause Hair Loss in Women? The Link Between Feeling Cold and Thinning Hair, Plus Prevention and Solutions

Cold sensitivity has a significant impact on hair thinning in women.

One common health issue among women is sensitivity to the cold. Women, in particular, are more prone to this condition than men.

Sensitivity to the cold carries the risk of causing abnormalities in physiological functions. It is also closely linked to hair thinning.

In this article, we’ll explore the relationship between sensitivity to the cold and hair thinning.

Is it possible to improve hair thinning by addressing sensitivity to the cold?

Bad News for Women with Thinning Hair! Causes and Symptoms of Cold Sensitivity

What causes sensitivity to cold? Here, we’ll explain the causes of sensitivity to cold and its connection to hair thinning. Women, in particular, should take note.

The relationship between women’s sensitivity to cold and hair thinning

There are survey reports indicating that about 70 percent of women suffer from sensitivity to the cold. Why are women so prone to this condition? The answer lies in their physical characteristics.

Women have a physiological makeup that makes it harder for them to build muscle mass compared to men. Muscle mass helps boost metabolism, which in turn helps prevent sensitivity to the cold. It is believed that the reason men are less likely to suffer from this condition is that they build muscle more easily than women.

Muscle mass can be considered the root cause of women’s sensitivity to the cold. This condition can trigger various health issues. The symptoms of sensitivity to the cold are listed below.

• Anemia
• Menstrual cramps
• Menopausal symptoms
• Constipation
• Skin conditions
• Poor circulation in the hands and feet
• Cancer
• Depression

There are many illnesses caused by sensitivity to the cold, and in some cases, they can develop into serious conditions such as cancer or mental disorders. In addition to the symptoms listed above, sensitivity to the cold also carries the risk of hair thinning. Since the head is located above the heart, blood circulation tends to be poor there, even for people who aren’t sensitive to the cold.

When you suffer from sensitivity to cold, blood circulation to the scalp—which is essential for healthy hair—deteriorates, leading to gradual hair thinning. Sensitivity to cold carries the risk of accelerating the progression of diffuse hair loss.

This means that sensitivity to cold is closely linked to hair thinning in women.

A Warning sign for thinning hair! Dangerous habits that can lead to cold hands and feet

Poor circulation isn’t caused solely by a decline in muscle strength. Lifestyle habits also play a significant role. The following are behaviors that can increase your risk of developing poor circulation.

• Excessive dieting
• Not taking baths
• An unbalanced diet
• Frequent use of air conditioning

Excessive dieting

Women sometimes become overly concerned about their weight and end up dieting the wrong way.

In particular, extreme dieting—such as skipping meals without exercising—is a very dangerous practice that can lead to serious health problems. Even if you succeed in losing weight by skipping meals without exercising, the weight you lose will come from a loss of muscle mass.

Be aware that even if your weight goes down, a loss of muscle mass can lead to sensitivity to cold and poor blood circulation in the scalp, which may contribute to hair thinning.

Not taking baths

It seems that more and more people these days are skipping the bath and just taking a shower. Taking only a shower every day can lead to a slowdown in your metabolism.

Taking only a shower can also be a risky habit that may contribute to hair loss.

An unbalanced diet

People who regularly drink cold beer or soft drinks may also be prone to feeling cold.

Cold beer and soft drinks have a cooling effect on the body. Additionally, people who skip breakfast may be at risk of developing sensitivity to the cold. Human body temperature drops as the night progresses and reaches its lowest point in the early morning. Eating raises body temperature and signals the body to become active.

Skipping breakfast in the morning, when body temperature is low, can lead to sensitivity to the cold. So, it seems that both cold drinks, which cool the body, and skipping breakfast can contribute to hair thinning.

Frequent use of air conditioning

Women who perform office work or similar tasks indoors should also be mindful of their air conditioner settings.

Imbalances in the autonomic nervous system are also believed to be a cause of sensitivity to cold. A significant temperature difference between indoors and outdoors can disrupt the autonomic nervous system. It is said that when the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is 10°C or more, the likelihood of developing sensitivity to cold increases. During the summer, lowering the air conditioner temperature and then suddenly stepping outside is one of the dangerous behaviors that can directly lead to sensitivity to cold.

How can we break the vicious cycle where lifestyle habits lead to sensitivity to cold, which in turn leads to thinning hair?

Effective Against Thinning Hair, Too!? 5 Ways to Combat Cold Hands and Feet

It seems that to prevent hair loss, it’s also necessary to take measures against sensitivity to cold. With that in mind, here are five ways to combat sensitivity to cold that may also help prevent hair loss.

Use the stairs to strengthen your lower body!

The “quadriceps,” located in the thighs, account for the largest amount of muscle mass in the human body. If you use escalators on your commute, we recommend taking the stairs instead. Taking the stairs helps strengthen your quadriceps. Also, when going for a walk, walking on sloped paths can be effective. If you work from home, you might want to do some squats during your breaks.

Eat foods that warm your body!

To combat sensitivity to the cold, we recommend actively incorporating foods that warm the body into your diet. Below are some of these warming foods that may also help prevent hair loss.

• Fava beans, natto
• Chicken
• Black tea, cocoa, herbal tea
• Walnuts
• Ginger
• Apples, peaches, cherries, grapes
• Napa cabbage, carrots, burdock root

Ginger is well known as a food that warms the body. Actually, there are many other foods besides ginger that can help combat sensitivity to the cold.

Many foods that warm the body are harvested in cold regions. Apples and Chinese cabbage, for example, are famous specialties of the Tohoku region.

Also, foods like natto are rich in estrogen, which helps regulate female hormones and supports healthy hair growth. Natto really is an excellent food.

Use over-the-counter vitamin supplements

If you find that your diet is inevitably unbalanced, you may want to consider using over-the-counter vitamin supplements as a temporary measure.

Vitamin E is said to be particularly effective for sensitivity to cold. If you’re undergoing hair loss treatment at a clinic specializing in AGA, consulting your doctor about supplements may help your treatment proceed more smoothly.

Using supplements imported from overseas can be very dangerous, so it’s best not to try them without careful consideration.

Soak in water at a temperature of about 38°C to 40°C for 20 minutes!

Taking a long, relaxing bath can help combat sensitivity to the cold and may also help prevent hair thinning.

Rather than taking a short bath in water hotter than 42 degrees Celsius, try relaxing in water between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. Bathing before bedtime, when your body temperature naturally drops, is likely to be even more effective.

One thing to be cautious about is the blood vessels in your neck. As you age, impurities can accumulate in your blood vessels; if these break off, they can clog the capillaries in the brain, increasing the risk of a stroke.

Excessive neck massage in a hot bath could potentially lead to a stroke. For older adults, it’s safer to consult a doctor before massaging your neck while bathing.

A kotatsu over an air conditioner

We don’t recommend using air conditioning in the winter.

Air conditioners raise the overall room temperature, creating a temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. Using an air conditioner can also dry out the air, which may have a negative effect on your skin. In the winter, using a kotatsu or similar heating method is a better way to combat cold sensitivity than using an air conditioner.

Taking steps to combat cold sensitivity improves your metabolism, which can also help prevent hair thinning.

If you’re struggling with Cold Sensitivity or Thinning Hair, visit an AGA hair clinic!

“Sensitivity to the cold”—a woman’s worst enemy—can actually increase the risk of various illnesses, can’t it? When treating hair loss, taking measures to combat sensitivity to cold is very important.

The AGA hair clinic also offers treatment options for conditions related to hair thinning in women. If you’re a woman who suffers from sensitivity to cold and is worried about future hair thinning, we recommend consulting the AGA Hair Clinic.