My Disability Experience: Body Temperature

Hi, friends. Do you ever have weird body temperature issues? Are you always cold or always hot? Do you have certain body parts that get very cold or very hot? Let’s discuss!

Overall Body Temperature

My overall body temperature is average, though my hands and face are usually cold. What’s odd about me is that my legs and feet are freezing cold almost all of the time, even with socks and pants. I have a neuromuscular condition (Friedreich’s Ataxia), so I guess my nerves have a tough time making the trip down to my toes.

My body seems to be used to this, so I rarely feel discomfort in my legs during the day. Actually, I’m often taken aback by how cold my calves feel when I reach down and touch them. Thank the Lord for space heaters! I have one at work that I sit right next to my legs.

How Body Temperature Issues Affect my Sleep

When I go to sleep, I have to bundle myself in a ton of covers because, when I’m in bed, the coldness of my legs bothers me tremendously. I then lie there for several minutes with my legs pressed together; I can’t fall asleep until they start warming up some. I yank up the covers in addition to draping a shirt over my face to get my face warm.

When I wake up (usually 4-5 hours later), my legs feel the opposite sensation–so warm that it’s uncomfortable, like they’re burning. After I use the bathroom, turn on my overhead fan, and come back to bed, I lie on top of the covers and allow the fan to cool down my legs. After a couple minutes, I flip over and let the fan cool off my calves. I usually crawl under the covers and fall back asleep afterwards, but if I can’t fall back asleep quickly, I end up in this unwinnable limbo where my legs (or my whole body during summer) are hot, then cold, then hot, then cold as I shift positions and pull covers off and on again.

Even when I fall right back asleep, my leg temperature dictates how the rest of the night goes. If my legs are pressed together instead of separated, I will wake up again sooner because my legs will heat back up faster.

Thanks for reading! Let me know about your experiences with body temperature issues in the comments below.

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