I’m a doctor and this is why women are always colder than men

AS the winter chill continues to grip Brits this week, many of us will be wearing extra layers.

If you’re a woman though, it’s likely you’ll want to wrap up even warmer than your male counterparts.

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One doctor has explained while women tend to feel the cold more than men do[/caption]

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Posting to TikTok, Dr Karan Rajan said that for women, some parts can be three degrees lower than their male counterparts[/caption]

Posting to TikTok, Dr Karan Rajan said there is an actual scientific reason why women often feel colder than men.

He explained: “Women produce more of the hormone oestrogen and one of the side effects of oestrogen is that it can thicken the blood.

“This can reduce the blood flow to the tiny capillaries supplying the extremities.”

An extremity on your body is a limb and or appendage of the body, particularly the hands and feet – which are the first thing we wrap up warm in the cold weather.

We usually do this by wearing thick socks or putting gloves on.

Dr Rajan said: “In fact, the hands, feet and even ears of a woman can be three degrees lower than men’s.

“On average for a given body weight, women tend to have less muscle tissue than men.”

He said that this means a lower metabolic rate which means less heat production.

“Women are toastier than men because they have a higher core temperature, so any dip in temperature will feel even colder”, he added.

Researches in Israel however, believe that women are colder than men because it keeps the sexes separate and stops couples clashing.

They found the same trait is present in many species of birds and mammals – with the females preferring a cosy warm den while the males pop to the pub in shorts.

Dr Eran Levin, of Tel Aviv University, said: “Men and women feel temperature differently. This difference in thermal sensation did not come about so that we could argue with our partners over the air conditioning, but rather the opposite.

“From an evolutionary point of view, it is meant to make a couple take some distance from each other so that each individual can enjoy some peace and quiet.

“Our study has shown that the phenomenon is not unique to humans – among many species of birds and mammals, females prefer a warmer environment than males, and at certain times these preferences cause segregation between the two sexes.”

‘MANSPREAD’

He added the phenomenon is linked to several other traits seen in animals and humans. For example, females are more likely to huddle together for warmth while males maintain more distance and shy away from contact with each other.

In migratory bird species, males spend the winter in colder areas than females, who try to avoid the draft.

And female bats tend to huddle together in a cosy corner while the males prefer to “manspread” in a breezy archway.

Among many mammals, even in species that live in pairs or in mixed groups all their lives, the males prefer shade whereas the females prefer sunlight, or the males ascend to the peaks of mountains while the females remain in the valleys.

The study, published in journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, added the separation between males and females reduces competition over resources in the environment and keeps away males who may be aggressive and endanger the babies.