Jorge Ángel, a nurse, explains why women tend to feel colder in winter: “It’s due to biological differences”

With the arrival of winter, a familiar debate resurfaces in many homes and offices: what temperature should the heating be set at so everyone feels comfortable? While many women ask to turn it up, some men insist the room is already warm enough.

This difference is not just a matter of personal perception. It is due to biological differences, as nurse Jorge Ángel explains on social media, where he recently shared a video discussing why women tend to feel colder.

According to the specialist, the explanation lies mainly in body composition and the way each body regulates temperature. It is not that one sex is more resistant to the cold than the other, but rather that different physiological mechanisms influence how men and women perceive low temperatures.

Muscle and fat: how they affect thermal sensation

One of the key differences is the proportion of muscle mass and body fat. Jorge Ángel points out that men generally have more muscle mass, while women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat. This distinction directly affects how the body regulates heat.

Muscles generate heat continuously through metabolic activity, even at rest, which helps maintain a higher body temperature. As a result, people with greater muscle mass often feel less cold.

Body fat, on the other hand, acts as an insulator that protects internal organs. However, this insulating effect means that heat is preserved primarily in the body’s core, leaving the hands and feet colder. This helps explain why many women feel colder in their extremities than in their torso.

Hormones and circulation: another key factor

Beyond body composition, hormones also play an important role in how cold is perceived. Estrogens, which are more prevalent in women, affect blood circulation by causing blood vessels in the hands, feet, ears, and nose to constrict more quickly in low temperatures. This vasoconstriction reduces heat loss from vital organs, but it also causes the extremities to cool down faster.

From an evolutionary standpoint, this mechanism is designed to protect essential bodily functions. It also explains why many women reach for gloves or thick socks even indoors during the coldest months of the year.

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