The Hidden Costs of Cold Weather on Chronic Illness
- Millie Bridger
- Nov 4
- 4 min read
A quiet shift in the air
There’s a moment each year when you feel it before you see it, that faint sharpness in the air, the way your hands start to ache before the leaves have even finished falling. For many people, winter means cosy nights and twinkling lights. But for those of us living with chronic illness, it can mean something else entirely: heavier limbs, stiffer joints, slower digestion, fatigue that lingers like fog.
While the world wraps itself in scarves and hurries forward, our bodies ache for stillness.
And there are reasons for that. The cold season doesn’t just chill the air, it changes the way our bodies work. Understanding those changes can help us prepare, adapt, and move through winter with a little more comfort and compassion.
Why cold weather affects chronic illness
When temperatures drop, our bodies naturally work harder to stay warm. For people with chronic conditions, this extra effort can trigger a cascade of symptoms:
• Circulation and temperature regulation: The body narrows blood vessels to conserve heat, reducing blood flow to the hands and feet. If you live with conditions like Raynaud’s, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or PoTS, you may feel this acutely, colder extremities, numbness, or dizziness from the body’s attempt to maintain core temperature.
• Pain and inflammation: Changes in barometric pressure and muscle contraction can worsen joint and nerve pain. Those with hypermobility, arthritis, or fibromyalgia often feel this as a deep, persistent ache.
• Digestive slow-down: The body directs more energy toward maintaining warmth, which can slow digestion. For those with gastroparesis or IBS, nausea and bloating may become more frequent.
• Fatigue and immune stress: Shorter days and lower sunlight levels can decrease vitamin D and serotonin, impacting energy and mood. At the same time, colder months bring more infections, placing extra strain on already taxed immune systems.
Understanding these processes doesn’t erase the difficulty, but it reminds us that our struggles are not imagined. Our bodies are simply responding to the season’s demands in their own way.
The emotional cost: isolation and slower rhythms
Beyond the physical challenges, winter often brings a quieter kind of ache, one that seeps into our routines and moods. Shorter days can mean fewer opportunities to get outside. Fatigue might cancel plans before they begin. The rest of the world speeds up for the festive season, while we find ourselves slowing down.
That contrast can feel heavy, guilt for saying no, loneliness from staying home, frustration at needing more rest. But these feelings are not failure; they are the natural by-products of living in a body that has limits.
While the world hums with movement, it’s okay to find peace in stillness. It’s okay to prioritise warmth, safety, and calm over busyness. As I often must remind myself: slowing down isn’t giving up, it’s tuning in.
Practical ways to manage winter with chronic illness
Below are gentle, realistic strategies to help you protect your energy, manage symptoms, and move through the colder months with care.
1. Warmth and comfort hacks
• Use soft, layered clothing, thermal base layers under loose, cosy fabrics.
• Keep a heat pad or microwaveable wrap nearby to ease joint and muscle pain.
• If you have circulation issues or dysautonomia, warm up slowly to avoid dizziness.
• For those with feeding tubes, keep equipment insulated and protected from the elements.
• Don’t underestimate warm socks, small comforts can make a big difference.
2. Protecting your energy
• Batch tasks for higher-energy days; rest unapologetically on lower ones.
• Consider online delivery for food, prescriptions, or gifts to save energy.
• Build “transition time” into your schedule, allow slower mornings or early evenings.
• Remember: rest is productive when it preserves your health.
3. Supporting your body
• Eat small, warm meals if large ones feel heavy, soups, soft grains, or gentle proteins.
• Stay hydrated; it’s easy to forget water when you’re cold, but dehydration worsens fatigue.
• Check your vitamin D and iron levels with your GP; supplements can help stabilise energy.
• Keep gentle movement where possible, stretching, slow dance, short walks indoors.
4. Mind and mood care
• Let in natural light each morning or use a daylight lamp if you can.
• Create sensory warmth around you; soft lighting, candles, calming music.
• Stay connected even virtually, through online groups, video calls, or community spaces.
• Join safe, understanding spaces like Finding Happiness, Together, where people get it.
• Try to find one “small joy” daily, something beautiful, however small.
