Heat and cold regulation

storycrafter

My husband is downstairs huddled under a blanket in front of a space heater blasting out heat. The funny thing is... I turned up the a/c because the house is heating up and stuffy after a warm day. I have the ceiling fan turned on upstairs in my study and in the bedroom to mitigate the stuffiness. The room he is in is wide open to the rest of the house and the heat is not contained. He adamantly refuses to use the heater in his office which could be closed off. 

Our house has the worst efficiency rating in our area. I try to tolerate greater temps for as long as I can, but it gets to a point sometimes it's miserable. We've become like a comedy act; total opposites in body temp and tolerance. And I see no way to resolve the inefficient usage unless I am willing to be more uncomfortable than I already am.

It may sound childish and silly, and is such a small thing in the grand scheme. Yet at the end of the day it's one more annoyance and I wish I could throw a tantrum at my husband like a five year old. He cares nothing about the incongruency of using the heater in an open room. Getting our utility bill with its acusing comparison staring me in the face makes me feel like... a polar bear trying to live side by side with an ... iguana.

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toolbeltexpert

Why is it that a lot of pwd feel cold all the time. Yesterday outside in my dw was cold, her hands were cold? It was 79 outside no breeze?

She has the ac in her room at mc at 80. 

I had our ac down to 68 just to keep it from getting stuffy because at night it has been down in the 50s, which would keep the ac from running very much.

On a positive note it will be cooler soon, so heat will be on. Not sure that that will be a positive for you but I wish you peace in all this. You user name suits you well, by the way you write.

harshedbuzz

storycrafter-

It's not a trivial or silly thing. Your comfort matters. It especially matters in the context of already ceding so much of your life to the care of someone who lacks the empathy to even consider the compromise of heating a smaller space so that you might be more comfortable. 

It's not uncommon for PWD to feel colder than others. Sometimes it's because the part of the brain that regulates temperature is damaged by the disease. Sometimes it is exacerbated by a PWD who is so physically inactive they seem hot glued to their recliner.

This trait is pretty common in all PWD, but it's almost universal in the ARD my dad had along with Alzheimer's. He routinely set the thermostat to 85F heat during the summer in coastal MD. It was so unpleasant. My poor mom felt like she was living in a permanent hot flash. And the electric bills. Yikes.

HB

Ed1937

Is there any way you could get him to wear a jacket, or even a winter coat?

Joydean

My husband is always cold also. Even when we are outside he is wearing a long sleeve underwear shirt and a a fleece lined jacket. That’s in 100 degrees.  We have separate bedrooms because he has fleece sheets, 2 blankets, a quilt and a comforter on his bed. I have ac set on 80. In my room I have ceiling fan, and 2 oscillating fans just so I can sleep. I have cameras in his room so I can keep checking on him. This has been one of the hottest and dryest summers we’ve had in a long time (Texas) and he’s cold.  Good luck to you!

Faith,Hope,Love

Storycrafter, I ditto what everyone else has said.  We live in Florida. I keep the A/C at 80 to try and keep us both fairly comfortable.  We are definitely the polar bear and iguana!!

John_inFlorida

We are pretty much the same, living in Florida also. Wife is almost always cold even with the A/C on 80. I'm almost always warm. I have the ceiling fan on and she has a blanket. Once in awhile it flips and she's hot, doesn't seem to be any reason.

Jeff86

My DW is cold in all seasons and wherever the thermostat is set.  Yesterday, dressed in a turtleneck sweater, she was still cold.   Much of the time I put a blanket on her wherever she is sitting.

ImMaggieMae

My DH has this too, but it’s not too bad, at least so far. We’re now closer together because I was always the one who was cold, and he, warm. We have a Calif king bed, so I just put warmer blankets on his side. 

Fleece is great for shirts and jackets. Good quality ones that are moderately thick are very warm but still lightweight. If you can find fleece underwear in mens sizes, that works well too. Fleece is durable, not too bulky and it washes and dries quickly. We have several fleece throws on the family room furniture that can be layered. They seem to last forever and are great for pets too. 

CStrope

The other day, when it was unseasonably warm, my DH was complaining about how hot he was, of course he was laying around the house in fleece pajama pants, 2 long sleeve shirts, and heavy socks.  I was in shorts and a t-shirt, but was freezing!!!   

I got up and looked at the  thermostat and he had turned the air conditioning up and it was only 64 in the house!!!

Kevcoy

Very interesting topic.  I thought I was alone in the heat vs cold arena.  It's still getting into the upper 80s where I live so have the AC on during the day and a ceiling fan on at night in the bedroom.  The other day I was wondering why certain parts of the house felt hot while others were alright.  The AC and furnace are on different thermostats so when I checked the furnace thermostat it was turned up to 85 degrees.  Then the next morning he was yelling someone needed to get a hammer (?) because the ceiling fan was freezing him to death.  Yet, he just wears a tee shirt and his underwear around the house.

Soul Mate

My husband has had type 1 diabetes for over 50 years.  His hands are always cold to the touch I think from neuropathy.  He wears gloves 24/7.  

And like the others he likes to keep bundled up.  Not sure if there is a physical problem for the rest of his body or just "wiring" that is sending the wrong message.

Buggsroo

I can so relate to this. My husband always is cold so he will turn up the thermostat to 85 degrees. Meanwhile I am hot flashing in the basement. Then I saw a switch above the furnace. I could turn off the heat and he could jack up the heat all he wants and …nothing happens.

Now I have my sanity back. Don’t underestimate how a hot house can make one feel crazy. Our lives as caregivers is pretty ghastly so any little power given to us is a win.

storycrafter

Interesting about "the switch above the furnace." I'll have to check that out.

zauberflote

Storycrafter, all my furnaces have had that switch too. But our house with heat pump did not, not that I ever saw. While our furnace has a switch on it to cut it off, our current thermostat only allows one mode at a time-- heat, cold, or off. 

Sometimes J see thermostats in commercial locations covered/guarded with a cage. Some of these cages are like a little plastic box that has a lock. Wonder if this would create more trouble than it would solve?

I second the window a/c for you!