Looking for explanations…Dec 19, 2023

Thought. I have always run warm. I do feel the cold, but not as much as most people. I hate (detest?) overheated department stores. This got worse with the onset of perimenopause, & I was unable to wear jumpers for years, because I couldn’t get them off quickly enough during hot flushes, which threatened spontaneous combustion. This settled somewhat after finally going on HRT.

I’ve noticed a change since going on ADHD meds. I now wear winter pjs on a “cool” summers night, & a nightie on warmer ones & am more likely to don a jacket of an evening.

I’m wondering whether this is a consequence of the meds, & overheating is related to ADHD. #ADHD #ActuallyAutistic @actuallyautistic #Menopause #HotFlushes #WomensHealth

Show threadolenaDec 19, 2023
@Susan60 @actuallyautistic both me and my kid have AuDHD and are overheating especially easy when moving. I usually wear one layer less than people around. I always take off a layer or two in a mall. At +5C, I leave a house wearing a thick cardigan over silky office shirt. After walking for about a kilometer, I undo the buttons. In a km more, I take it off. But not the thin gloves. My hands and feet are almost always cold. My normal body temperature is below 36C.
Show threadLord Caramac the Clueless, KSCDec 19, 2023

@olena @Susan60 @actuallyautistic I'm probably AuDHD (never officially diagnosed), but I am quite heat resistant, and I hate the cold. I usually wear more and thicker clothes than the people around me, and I spend most of my time in the cold half of the year indoors in rooms heated to at least 20°C. When temperatures rise a tiny bit above 30°C during a heatwave and people around me start to complain, I just relax and enjoy.

Edit: As I've never been diagnosed, I have also never been on any kind of ADHD medication.

Show threadolenaDec 19, 2023
@LordCaramac @Susan60 @actuallyautistic I actually have a hypothesis that probably ADHD temperature regulation troubles may be the direct result of issues with hypothalamus: some studies have shown the link between that brain part and ADHD, and this is precisely the zone responsible for temperature regulation among other things
Show threadLord Caramac the Clueless, KSCDec 19, 2023
@olena @Susan60 @actuallyautistic We definitely need more research on that. I have always had cold hands and feet, my body doesn't know how to keep itself warm, despite burning through a lot of food. I've gained a little weight after I hit 40, before that I was so skinny that people often thought I was anorexic, but in fact I have always been eating and snacking more than even most fat people I know.
Show threadLooking for explanations…

@LordCaramac @olena @actuallyautistic
I was a "bottomless pit" as a kid, but thought nothing of it because I was so tall, and while I definitely wasn't sporty, I was fairly active.

And after childbirth, I returned to my pre-pregnancy weight very quickly (which made me the cause of envy), and struggled (and failed) to maintain a good weight while breastfeeding. I made drinks with soy milk, an egg, banana, some oats, honey, and protein powder in an effort to not fade away. The same thing happened the second time around, but it was less pronounced.

I no longer experience hunger, just feel irritable or a bit sick if I haven’t eaten enough, & am less likely to snack for pleasure or eat too large a meal when on ADHD meds (which has actually been a good thing, but I need to watch that I do eat lunch.)

In short, I think the interplay between ADHD, temperature regulation & metabolism definitely needs a look!

Dec 20, 2023 at 10:14pmWeb