Why do older people feel cold more easily?

Older adults and temperature

Older people may feel the cold more easily than other age groups, and with reduced mobility that may stop them from independently adjusting their temperature, this can pose potential health concerns. Here, we are taking a closer look at the main reasons older people tend to feel cold more often, when coldness could be cause for concern, the best ways for older adults to warm up at home, and how a caregiver could help to support their comfort. 

At Home Instead, our aim is to help people age positively and in place by bringing expert care to their home. For nearly 20 years, we have been providing the highest standard of care, and creating industry-leading training programmes for our Care Professionals that are accredited by nursing and medical professionals. Today, we are the world’s largest global domiciliary care network, supporting over 100,000 older adults with personalised, tailored care at home. So whatever questions you have about keeping older adults warm at home, we can help.

What are the main reasons older people might feel cold?

Older people tend to have a lower baseline temperature, so they need to be especially careful with prolonged exposure to colder temperatures as this can cause hypothermia to develop. There are several reasons for this, including: 

Reduced circulation 

Poor circulation tends to become more of an issue as people age, and this means the heart fails to pump blood efficiently and effectively around the body to deliver essential oxygen to muscles and soft tissues. 

This could be due to conditions like heart issues, diabetes, Raynaud’s disease, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD), or it could simply be due to the typical reduction in circulation that comes with age. With less blood travelling to the skin and extremities, and heat not being evenly distributed throughout the body, older adults may feel colder. 

Lower Metabolic Rate

As we age, our metabolism–which is the process of converting food into energy–slows down, partly due to reduced physical activity. This important bodily function is part of what generates heat, as it burns calories. As a result of this function slowing down, older people may experience a drop in their core body temperature, particularly when they are not moving around as often as they did before. 

A lower metabolic rate also negatively affects the body’s ability to effectively respond to colder weather, and makes it more challenging to maintain any existing body heat.

Thinner Skin, Reduced Fat Layers, and Reduced Muscle   

Studies show that ageing affects almost every bodily function, so it is common to notice changes in body composition, bone loss, muscle loss, and changes in body fat and its distribution. Skin changes with age due to a natural loss of collagen, and research suggests older people will usually experience ‘senile purpura’, meaning their skin becomes thinner with less elasticity and a reduced barrier function. 

Ageing can also cause people to experience a reduction in body fat under the skin, particularly in the extremities, which can impact how warm you feel. In addition, older people tend to lose some of their muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, which can also reduce the body temperature of an older person. Overall, this loss of natural insulation in the form of muscle and fat means older people are more likely to feel the cold, and to be negatively affected by this.

Chronic Conditions  

The National Council on Aging estimates 94.9% of those aged 60 and over have at least one chronic health condition, while 78.7% have two or more. Some of these health conditions could impact core body temperature, or the temperature of their extremities. For example, conditions such as:

• Diabetes – This can damage blood vessels and nerves, and reduce blood flow 
• Arthritis or Parkinson’s disease – Conditions that limit mobility can impact the ability to generate body heat through movement 
• Anaemia – This condition causes a lack of red blood cells, and therefore a lack of oxygen in tissues and organs, leading to feelings of coldness 
• Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) – This can slow an older person’s metabolism and therefore lower their body’s ability to generate heat 
• Cardiovascular disease – This impacts how efficiently blood is pumped around the body, which can cause feelings of coldness 
• Dementia – This condition affects the brain, and as a result, could impact the body’s ability to accurately recognise temperature

Medication Side Effects  

Certain medications are known to cause side effects that include a reduced body temperature. For example, beta blockers cause the heart to beat more slowly and impact body temperature, and antipsychotic drugs can either increase or decrease body temperature. These side effects may happen for a number of reasons; medication could interfere with how the body naturally regulates or feels temperature, or the metabolic processes involved in temperature regulation.

Decreased Mobility  

Older people tend to move less frequently than younger people due to reduced mobility, chronic pain or fatigue, or health conditions like arthritis. When we move less, we generate less heat. UK data shows 45% of those of pension age or older live with a disability, which can make moving around independently either much more difficult or impossible. When mobility is limited, older people may sit or lie down for longer periods of time, which reduces their overall body temperature and causes them to feel cold. 

Not only can disability cause older adults to become colder, it may prevent them from making necessary changes to manage their own temperature, such as grabbing a blanket or adjusting the thermostat in their home. Many older people are naturally less active during winter months due to additional factors such as cold weather, illness, and icy conditions that increase the risk of falls.

How does cost of living impact the health of older people? 

In the UK, many older adults on a fixed income struggle with the cost of living and fuel poverty issues, leading to a “heating or eating” dilemma that causes them to avoid turning on their heating, even in cold weather. Age UK data from 2022 found 62% of older adults had to cut back on heating their home to be able to afford other things, and 57% of those over the age of 60 worry about cold weather extremes. 

Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can increase the risk of cold-related issues such as respiratory infections, inflamed arthritis, hypothermia, and increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. It can also have a significant impact on mental health. 

If you are struggling with the cost of heating your home or worried about cold weather, pay attention to the Met Office’s Cold-Health Alerts system so you can prepare in advance for weather changes, and look into what financial support may be available to you in order to heat your home, such as winter fuel payments, cold weather payments, or warm home discounts. You can learn more in our guide to financial benefits for pensioners.

How can older adults stay warm at home? 

As well as putting on your heating, there are other helpful ways to keep yourself warm. According to Money Saving Expert, older people should aim to “heat the human, not the home”, which means saving on energy bills if you need to by focusing on ways to keep your body warm in any weather. Here are some tips for making sure your home is warm enough: 

 Personal Adjustments  

• Layered clothing – Wearing layers that you can easily add or remove as needed is a great way to regulate your temperature. Get dressed with a base layer such as a thermal vest, then add things like a jumper, fleece or cardigan depending on the temperature. When outside, especially in winter, make sure you wear plenty of layers such as a waterproof jacket. When watching TV or in bed, have blankets nearby that you can cover yourself with for added warmth. 
• Thermal clothing – Making simple swaps with your clothing could make a big difference to your body heat, such as choosing thicker materials. Wrap up with insulated jumpers, woollen hats, a scarf, and clothing specifically designed to keep you warm, such as thermal underwear, socks, leggings and nightwear. Fabrics like merino wool are great for heat retention so prioritise these in cold weather if you can. 
• Compression stockings – Improving your circulation could help you to better retain heat, so speak to your doctor about wearing compression stockings to improve circulation in your feet and legs. 
• Warming foods/drinks – Age UK recommends adjusting your diet, particularly in winter, to consume more warming foods and drinks. This could include drinking tea, or eating soup, porridge or stews. Tea is a great option as you can have this continuously throughout the day to warm up. It is a common misconception that you can warm up with alcoholic drinks; these may feel like they are helping, but they actually lower your core body temperature. 
• Hydration – Drinking more can help to increase your circulation, which in turn helps you to stay warm. Try to sip on liquids throughout the day, such as water, tea or juice. 

 Home Modifications  

• Heat rooms you spend most time in – Heat your bedroom, living room, and your bathroom during times when you are likely to get undressed. You can do this by turning on your heating, or use things like heated towel rails, draught excluders, thermal blinds and curtains, and safe portable heaters with automatic shut-off features. You could also rearrange furniture to be away from cold walls or windows. Learn more in our guide to the recommended room temperatures for the elderly.
• Heat your bed at night – Before you get into bed, heat it up using things like hot water bottles or electric blankets, and ensure you have thermal sheets and extra blankets for added warmth if needed. If you choose to use an electric blanket, be sure to set alarms for yourself to turn this off after your bed is heated, and avoid the danger of leaving it on overnight. Those with dementia should not use electric blankets alone – these should be turned on and off by caregivers if used at all. 
• Use cost-effective heating strategies – As well as things like winter fuel payments, you can manage the energy costs in your home over winter by using timers and thermostats to automatically adjust temperatures so you are only heating the rooms you need to, when you need to. It also helps to improve the insulation in your home where possible to avoid lost heat, such as sealing any draughts, adding rugs or carpets, and installing thermal curtains to keep heat inside for longer. 

Caregiver Tips  

• Monitor room temperatures – Prevent cold exposure that leads to hypothermia by placing a simple indoor thermometer in the most-used living spaces such as bedrooms and living rooms, so you know when these may need to be adjusted. 
• Check for draughts and cold spots – Sometimes heat escapes from a home and cold air from outside manages to enter, usually through windows, under doors or through poorly insulated walls. If an older person’s home is consistently cold, it may be useful to go around all entryways to find out where heat is escaping, and use things like draught excluders or heavy curtains to stop this.
• Encourage movement – Older adults may feel warmer at home by moving around throughout their day to increase their core body temperature. By encouraging safe, gentle movement such as walking, seated yoga or housekeeping tasks, this can make a big difference to how cold someone feels. You can learn more about safe fitness ideas in our guide to fitness and and exercise for the elderly.
• Encourage leg elevation – The British Heart Foundation recommends older adults prop their legs up higher than their hips when seated so gravity can encourage better blood circulation. 
• Help to manage temperature – When older adults cannot independently move around their home to make a warming meal or cover themselves with a blanket, caregivers can step in to make sure they are warm and comfortable at all times. 
• Facilitate medication reviews with their GP – Some medications can affect how older adults regulate their temperature and how cold they feel on a daily basis, so caregivers can help them to make a doctor’s appointment to discuss how this could be affecting them, and adjust medications as needed. 

At Home Instead, we understand the complexities of managing your temperature at home while also avoiding high energy bills. Our Care Professionals can help you stay warm and comfortable at home while respecting your home heating decisions. Ultimately, our goal is to help you remain as independent as possible at home while also ensuring you are comfortable, safe and healthy. For support to stay warm at home, reach out to your local Home Instead office to discuss how we can help.

We’re an award-winning home care provider and part of a worldwide organisation devoted to providing the highest-quality relationship-led care for older people in their own homes. Arranging care for yourself or your loved one shouldn’t be stressful, so whatever questions you would like answered, feel free to reach out to the Home Instead team to discuss your needs.