MS and the Cold

Brrrrr, it is getting cold here in the UK! And, I don’t know about you, but I definitely notice some effects on my MS when it is cold.

Sensitivity to heat is often cited as a symptom for MSers (I wrote about my own experience four years ago now!) but sensitivity to the cold is something that has crept up on me with each year that passes.

According to the MS Trust:

Cold sensitivity is less common with MS than heat sensitivity, and it tends to affect different symptoms. The symptoms most likely to be affected are nerve pain, mobility and spasms. Depression and fatigue may also be triggered by the cold, particularly if it co-incides with poor weather and less sunlight. Having increased spasticity or stiffness due to low temperatures can make walking in icy conditions harder.

Perhaps I am noticing it more because my spasticity is getting worse?  Whatever may be the reason, I am trying to tackle it by proactively making decisions to help keep warm.  If you’re in the northern hemisphere too and the cold impacts on your MS, I hope these ideas help!

Wearing Cosy Clothes

Sounds pretty obvious, but a lot of us are spending more time at home than usual, which means that we have more opportunity for wearing cosy, warming and informal clothes that allow us to be as warm and comfy as can be.  Personally, I tend to wear a vest and leggings under whatever clothes I am wearing to stay toasty.  I particularly love wearing loungewear or pyjamas when I am not working via zoom, it is a lot easier to feel the warmth in soft flannel than it is jeans!

Is it wrong of me to be coveting a ‘slanket’? I think that is a hybrid of sweater and blanket and that sounds perfect to me to ward off the cold temperatures that affect my MS!

    

If you are in and out of the house, for example going out to work, shopping or picking the kids up from school, it might be a good idea to wear layers that you can easily add on or take off so your MS cold body is at the right temperature.

Not clothes but maybe those heated hand warmers and heat packs like this can help if you’re outside and feeling the effects of the chill?

I have also treated myself to fingerless gloves that I wear all the time at home; they just keep me a wee bit warmer and mean that I have warm hands that can still crochet!

Hot Drinks and Soups to Keep Warm

I have lovely memories of soup and sandwiches for lunch when I was a little girl; I guess the fact that it is so warming helps make soup so comforting?  Soups are a great way to warm up from inside, here’s one of my favourites:

A Warming Soup:

Read More: An Easy, Delicious Cauliflower Soup

Soothing Drinks

My favourite warm drink? Probably coffee… but I do love ‘builders’ tea, Chai Tea and Earl Grey to warm up my MS cold body as well. As my MS has progressed, I have looked into using warm drinks as a way to have my anti-inflammatory spices in a tasty way.  Enter turmeric milk and creamy hot chocolate (any excuse for chocolate!) and, of course, it’s the time of year for spiced mulled wine 😉 Maybe not one to have too much of, but definitely one that will warm you up.

I use maple syrup and add cinnamon to mine as well.

I always use non-dairy milk to adhere to Overcoming MS guidelines.

The MS Trust warns that we should:

avoid too much alcohol, as it has the overall effect of cooling your body by causing your skin to flush and give off heat.

Boo! 😉

Blankets, Blankets and More Blankets

One of my favourite presents from last Christmas has to be the heated blanket that I use in my bed – it’s something that I look forward to using at the end of the evening and it’s such a treat when I really feel like I need a long nap during the day. Keeping the room warm by pulling the curtains and making sure that your heating is up to scratch (it has made such a difference having my new boiler!) is also so important, but sometimes it makes sense to use a blanket if everyone else in the household is managing the temperature just fine.

As an aside, I also have a heated blanket for my lap in the living room – it is so fantastic but I do have to be careful not to have on full heat for an extended period of time as then I get all the usual heat intolerance symptoms (fatigue, reduced mobility etc).

 
Good old hot water bottles and heated rice packs can also soothe a chilly body, just remember to put something between yourself and the bottle if you don’t detect heat well, as you don’t want to burn yourself.

Get Moving

This can be difficult for some of us MSers but moving is a sure-fire way to raise your body temperature and tackle that MS cold intolerance. I myself do the MS Gym and yoga stretches, but any kind of exercise can help to increase your circulation and get you feeling warmer.  Wrapping up warm and getting outside can also help and you will hopefully get some much-needed vitamin D which everyone can struggle to get enough of at this time of year.

Treat Yourself Kindly

Along with it being colder here in the UK, I have noticed a distinct lack of sunlight recently – I have to draw the curtains when my kids come home at 3:30pm!  It is easy to forget how much we rely on light to keep our sleep rhythms running smoothly and our mood bright.  I definitely notice a drop in my mood when the light reduces and that, along with the cold, can make everything just that little bit more challenging.  So, although my final tip is not MS and cold specific, I thought that it was an important reminder: treat yourself kindly.

If you can enjoy a lovely warm bath with bath oil, do it.  If you fancy a hot chocolate whilst wrapped up in a blanket watching telly, go for it. Remember that cold can affect anyone, but for some of us MSers it adds another layer of sensitivity to an already struggling body… treat yourself kindly.

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Does cold affect your MS? I’d love to hear if you have found anything specific that helps you.

Love and light