What is Thermoception?
Thermoception is our sense of temperature.
It allows us to know if we are too hot or cold.
What does under-sensitivity look like?
If you're under sensitive to it you might not feel the cold or the heat.
This can mean:
- you don't wear enough clothes in winter or wear too many in summer
- you forget sunscreen as you're not aware your skin is burning or warm
- you can miss the signs of thirst from heat and only recognize this is a problem when you feel faint or tired
- that your limbs go blue from the cold
This can be a problem as even though you may not be aware of your body's or the environment's temperature it can still cause you harm!
It's also possible to be oversensitive to one temperature but not another.
What does over-sensitivity look like?
If you're over-sensitive to it you might feel cold or heat a lot more than other people.
It can mean that you:
- wear too much or too little clothing
- get sunburned from not enough clothing or overheat due to too many clothes
- avoid showers and baths as the water and the temperature of the
room can be too hot or cold
- avoid going outside where the temperature is out of your control
What helps?
- having reminders to use sunscreen or wear clothing
- having thermometers or calendars and weather apps and trackers
- schedule heating so that way you don't have to think about it
- making sure that you wear protective clothing to prevent sunburn and frostbite
- do what feels comfortable to you