Is being cold a common symptom?

loveskitties

I have noticed a number of you mentioning your LO will be turning up the heat.  This is something my dad does routinely.

We have tried to get him to put on a sweater, with limited success.

He always wears long sleeve shirts and usually wants to put a jacket on to go outside no matter the temp.

Starfare

Neuro disorders effect the central nervous system that controls body temp.  My husband will get chills and is unable to get warm at times.

M1

Being cold is common in the elderly with or without dementia.

French

I had the same question about 1 year ago. My partner is only 52 years old and always cold. 

He spends his time rubbing his arms

He was sleeping in a sleeping bag in addition to his double comforter. So I bought the warmest comforter. Then I  found the old ones on top. Right now he spends his free time in the veranda where it is very hot. 

Jeff86

My DW wears turtleneck sweaters in the dog days of August.  And a shawl over them.  Dislikes showering because she gets cold getting undressed.

Pre-AD, she was always too warm.

ElaineD

This is a subject very important to me.

1. As M1 pointed out, the elderly begin to lose their temperature regulation.  So it is particularly difficult to 'warm up' and they feel cold.

2. As Starfare pointed out, temperature dysregulation from neurological damage to the CNS is common.  So feeling cold or hot all of the time results.

3. I have many neurological problems, including damage to my CNS,  and my version of temperature dysregulation is that I'm always hot. 

I keep the thermostat as low as possible, preferably 70/71.  And I sleep with a table fan blowing directly on me!

My DH is 82 and he feels cold most of the time.  You can imagine what a mismatched pair we are.  And we don't dress according to our temperature sense.  DH wears shorts and short sleeved shirts (always cold) and I wear long pants and long sleeved tops (always hot).

Clearly we should change our clothing styles!  He won't change, even tho' he's cold.  I think he dresses for the outside temperature, which is well over 90 every day now.  He has a blanket over his legs when he watches TV.

I wear long pants to cover my leg braces, and long sleeved tops to cover the purple blotches on my arms, year round.  Oh vanity!  I don't even own any shorts or short sleeved shirts.  

For the past 4-5 years DH and I have dueled over the thermostat.  I turn up the AC in summer, turn down the heat in winter, so I feel cooler.  DH then changes the thermostat so he feels warmer.

PS  I managed 7 people in our office.  The women were always cold, the men were always hot.  Thermostat wars ensued.  I had to lock the thermostat and take away the key.

The cold women wore very light clothing (polyester dresses, for example). The hot men wore heavy clothes (wool suits).   Go figure.

slippednfell

Wow, I hadn't considered linking my DH's being cold with his AD.  He sleeps practically all the time so he sits on the sofa in a winter jacket, slumped over, often sleeping even when it is 75 degrees in here.  It is annoying to look at but I am glad for the time to myself.  He refuses to wear the long underwear I got for him.

Stuck in the middle

If I nap, I get cold, I guess because I'm not moving.  I would wear a jacket to nap in a 75 degree room too, just because I'm 74 years old.  I don't have dementia but I'll be getting out the long underwear in a couple of months.

Stuck in the middle

ElaineD wrote:

PS  I managed 7 people in our office.  The women were always cold, the men were always hot.  Thermostat wars ensued.  I had to lock the thermostat and take away the key.

The cold women wore very light clothing (polyester dresses, for example). The hot men wore heavy clothes (wool suits).   Go figure.

That attire was required when I went to work for the SSA in 1970.  A man without a tie or a woman in pants would be sent home to dress "properly".  I remember perspiring while the woman at the next desk had a cardigan over her legs.  Silly, like most arbitrary rules.

ElCy

Nothing like having the heat turned to 79 while you’re having a hot flash.

Bitman70

My wife is in the severe stage of dementia.  She says she's cold much of the time, but it's summer and our house stays about 80 degrees. If I let her use a blanket, when I feel her arms she feels too warm to me. I started putting a sheet on her instead.  She feels covered, and that seems to satisfy her brain. I don't think she is getting the correct signals from the brain as to whether she is hot or cold. If a fan is blowing on her, that increase the cold sensation. The sheet helps with that too.

Buggsroo

My husband will come down and turn up the heat to 83 or 84 degrees F. I will be down the basement almost throwing up because I am so hot. I leave the heat on for one or two cycles and then shut it off. He also struggles with cold feet due to poor circulation. 

We are at such opposite ends of the spectrum. I keep my room/sanctuary very cool. I sleep better with the fans going.