The Battle Over the Thermostat: Why Women Need Extra Warmth
It's a battle that has gone on for years: who controls the thermostat in your home, men or women? Whether it's an office or a house, the ongoing fight over the heat is all too common.
However, if you are wondering why women might need to reach for a sweater more often than men do, there are two words that sum up their plight: metabolic rate.
In this blog post, we will discuss how gender affects our bodies ability to regulate temperature and what can be done about it. ( 1*, 2*, 3*)
Why are guys so warm?
Guys have more heat generating cells than girls because of the testosterone which makes them feel warmer but not necessarily hotter to the touch.
There are two influential hormones that have an effect on body temperature regulation (though it's still not clear how they actually work): thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH and testosterone, which is associated with maleness.
When you see higher levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the bloodstream, your metabolism ramps up and you produce more cellular energy--but this process requires more fuel (calories) so your body heats up to maintain equilibrium.
Testosterone production also raises while TSH declines for men during puberty. These changes make guys both warmer feeling from within as well as sometimes looking redder from without.
Why are females always cold?
Females are colder and need extra warmth because of the hormone estrogen.
Estrogen is a steroid sex hormone that occurs in both males and females, but women produce higher levels of it. Its main function in women is to regulate the female reproductive cycle and its effect on reproduction makes it an important fertility regulator.
So a woman's body will always be producing more estrogen than a man's body naturally would. Higher production leads to disrupted sleep patterns (which has a range of negative effects) and lower tolerance for the cold, among other things such as mood swings and weight gain during puberty or during menstruation cycles where there is usually at least one phase when estrogen is fluctuating high enough to disrupt normal calorie consumption leading to weight loss or weight gain respectively.
What is a normal temperature for a woman?
A normal temperature for a woman is 98.4°F (37°C). 95 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (35 to 37 degrees Celsius) is the normal body temperature range, but fever levels vary from person to person and from day to day in some people.
It is normal for everyone to have a different temperature. I know that my body has an average of 98 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes it can go up as high as 99 but then the next day, it might be 97 or 96!
It's all about your lifestyle too- if you're always outside running around in cold weather conditions, your temperature will probably not stay at 95 every time.
Reasons why women feel colder than men
Women's bodies are more sensitive to heat than men's
Women's bodies are more sensitive to heat than men that is why they feel colder more often. Women are constantly fighting to keep their body temperature up and they can't take it as high, which is why their skin temperature is closer to 98.0 Fahrenheit than men's 100.
Women have less muscle mass
The average woman has less muscle mass, which means they have a lower metabolic rate.
Metabolism is the process by which our body converts food into energy. Women are less efficient at doing this than men because women naturally have a lower percentage of muscle mass and higher fat levels, both of which slow down their metabolism.
For example, research has uncovered that in order to maintain a stable temperature while standing, women need about 30% more warmth than men.
They wear lighter clothing
Women tend to wear lighter clothing and expose themselves more often in the summer.
Women's styles tend to be more revealing, which means that they are wearing less clothing.
They also tend to dress in lighter colors, so as a result of their higher surface area and exposure levels, women need warmer temperatures than men.
Menopause
Menopause can cause hot flashes that make it difficult for women to cool down and maintain a stable temperature.
With their lower metabolic rates, women are at an increased risk of hypothermia or hyperthermia when the thermostat is set too low or high respectively.
It's important to take these factors into consideration in order to prevent any adverse health effects and provide them with the best possible work environment.
Hormones
Hormones can also affect how much heat is generated by the body above all in women.
For example, in the last few weeks before menstruation women are likely to feel colder than normal because estrogen levels drop.
In addition to this, many birth control pills can also have an effect on a woman's temperature regulation system by changing hormone concentrations and ratios.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy may also increase a woman's sensitivity to heat due to changes in hormones or weight gain.
Pregnant women are finding themselves struggling with the heat when they would not have struggled before their pregnancy. It is speculated that hormonal changes in addition to weight gain may be playing a factor in this increased sensitivity to temperature change.
Menstruation
An article from Harvard Medical School states that when it comes to the body above all in women. For example, in the last few weeks before menstruation women are likely to feel colder than normal because estrogen levels drop.
In addition to this, many birth control pills can also have an effect on a woman's temperature regulation system by changing their estrogen levels.
Women's extremities are colder than men's
Women's extremities are colder than men's, making them more susceptible to snow or frostbite.
They have cold extremities, which is why they are more likely to wear heavy clothing or boots in the winter than men.
Women have a higher body temperature than men do
Women usually have higher core body temperatures. This is the reason why they are more likely to get sick on airplanes and it can also affect their fertility levels as well.
Many people think the higher core body temperature in women is because of hormonal changes of menopause. But it's actually due to a difference in metabolic rates between males and females!
One of the many reasons women may have a higher core body temperature is because they are able to process oxygen more efficiently than men.
Conclusion
The cold has been pretty brutal this winter, and it's easy to see why so many people have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.
But what if you're not just suffering from low energy due to lack of sunshine? What if your body is telling you that something else might be going on? If you or someone close to you is experiencing any symptoms like these, don't wait for things to get worse before seeking medical attention.
You may need treatment for hypothyroidism which would make sense because thyroid hormones help regulate our metabolism, including how much energy we use every day. So when they're not functioning properly, we can experience fatigue among other issues.