Many women claim to be cold most of the time while their husbands are the opposite. This has been true for my wife and me.

We’ve been married for over 47 years and during that whole time, one thing has always been true. If I am comfortable, she is cold. If she is comfortable, I’m usually sweating. I can wear just a pair of shorts and have a fan blowing on me and she will still be wearing a sweater or light jacket.

I’ve generally attributed my wife being so cold all the time to her physical build. She is tall and slender with very little body fat. Additionally, she has a high or fast metabolism, which has played a role in her being so thin or slender. For example, she could drink only 2-3 ounces of beer and feel the effects of the alcohol within minutes, which is why she is not a drinker.

Over the years, I’ve met a number of other couples that face the same situation with him always being hot and her always being cold. They’ve shared going through similar things that my wife and I have faced.

A recent report gives 10 reasons why so many women are cold, or at least colder than their husbands or boyfriends:

1- Low Thyroid. Medically known as hypothyroidism, meaning that the thyroid gland is under active. The thyroid helps regulate body temperature and metabolism, so when the thyroid is underactive, the metabolism slows and the body tends to colder or feel colder.

2- Getting older. As we age, our bodies produce less metabolic heat, meaning that we tend to be colder. Being a warm-blooded mammal, our bodies need to maintain a normal warm temperature. The muscles help generate a lot of the heat by minute contractions that we don’t  normally feel. The more the muscles vibrate, the more heat. As we age, we generally lose muscle mass and muscle tone, meaning that our bodies produce less heat and we tend to feel colder.

3- Diet. Eating water-dense cold foods like smoothies, ice cream, cold salads and iced drinks will make the body feel colder.

4- Anemia. Caused by low iron in the blood stream, which causes the blood to  carry less oxygen which means the muscles lack enough oxygen to vibrate and keep the body the warm.

5- Dehydration. Not drinking enough water hinders metabolism and the breakdown of food. This is turn leads to a reduction of body heat.

6 – Circulation. Having poor circulation means that the extremities of the body get less warm blood and oxygen, resulting in the extremities (skin, fingers, toes, etc.,) feel colder.

7- Pregnancy. Even though a woman’s body tends to warmer when she is pregnant, pregnant women also tend to be more anemic and experience poor circulation, both of which can make her feel colder.

8 – Hormones. Estrogen causes blood vessels to dilate which results in greater heat loss and increases the sensation of being colder

9- Anxiety. People who have anxiety problems tend to feel colder.

10- BMI. If your body mass index is too low, you will feel colder (my wife has always had a very los BMI, hence why she has always been cold).

11- Being Female. On average, females are colder than men. Part of this is due to the fact that they are far more prone to anemia and hypothyroidism (low thyroid).

While these may explain why many women feel colder than men, it also gives reason why they should see a doctor. Anemia and hypothyroidism can create other more serious health problems if not treated and dealt with. Sometimes, poor circulation can also be medically corrected or addressed. If hormone levels are out of the norm, they can sometimes be controlled. Uncontrolled anxiety leads to stress which has been proven to increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you are habitually cold, see your doctor. Habitual cold could be a symptom of something more serious and the sooner you find out, the better.