Why do my hands get cold when I'm anxious?
When you feel anxious, alert mode narrows the small blood vessels in the skin of your hands and feet to send more blood to your large muscles and the middle of your body. That makes your hands and feet go cold and sometimes pale.
Try the practice nowWhat happens in your blood vessels
Alert mode is built for running from a threat, so your body sends blood to the large muscles and the middle of your body, ready to move. To shift that blood flow, the small blood vessels in the skin of your hands and feet narrow.
What else you might feel
Some people feel chills or shiver when anxious, as adrenaline moves through the body. Cold hands from anxiety are not dangerous, and they warm up as the body settles.
If your fingers turn white or blue, then red as they warm, that pattern can be Raynaud's, which cold and stress can set off and which is worth getting checked.
Why it happens on calm days
After weeks of anxiety, the body can stop switching between rest mode and alert mode and stay in alert mode. Because the body holds that state, cold hands can show up on days you do not feel anxious. This state is trainable with daily practice.
Try Cadence Breathing right now
- Sit upright, or lie on your back if that is easier, and relax your jaw with your eyes closed or in a soft gaze.
- Breathe in lightly through your nose for a count of 3, then hold gently for a count of 3.
- Breathe out smoothly and slowly for a count of 6 without straining. If you run short of air, use 2, 2, and 4 instead.
- Repeat this breathing pattern for ten rounds.
When to check with a doctor
- You have cold, clammy skin with chest pain, breathlessness, or feeling faint (call emergency services).
- Your hands and feet are cold and you have a fever with blotchy or bluish skin, very fast breathing or confusion (call emergency services).
- One arm, hand, leg or foot suddenly turns cold, pale and painful (call emergency services).
- Your fingers or toes turn white or blue, then red, or you get sores on your fingertips.
- You feel cold all the time, with tiredness, weight gain, or dry skin.
- You are often tired, short of breath, and pale.
- You have diabetes and your feet are cold or numb.
Practice with the Stateshift app
Common questions
Why do my hands feel cold and clammy at the same time?
Alert mode can make your palms sweat while the small blood vessels in your skin narrow. Because sweat cools as it dries on your skin, your hands can feel cold and clammy at the same time.
Why do my fingers tingle when my hands get cold?
Over-breathing can add tingling in your fingers alongside the cold. Slower, lighter breathing lets it fade.
How can I warm my hands up right now?
Holding a warm mug, running warm water over your hands, or swinging your arms brings warmth back into your fingers. Attention on pleasant sensation is the opposite of a panic spiral, so feeling the warmth on your skin also helps you settle.