office jobs & coldness

Most of my work is done at the computer, so that is where I am at most of the workday. Just sitting there, doing paper work, computer work & phone conversations. I get quite cold very easily just sitting there, especially my fingers.
But everyone else is doing physical labor. They all complain that the office is warm, while I sit there freezing. Warm? Warm my bum, I think it's cold.
I keep it about 71-73 here in the office and I'm still freezing!!

Does anyone else have this problem?
Do you do anything to help? Does it help?

I get up every half hour or so & move around. It helps, but only until a few minutes after I sit back down. It seems as if it's getting worse this year, it's not even snowing out yet & I'm freezing already.

I find it odd that even at home if I'm sitting around, if I have my home furnace set on 73 I'd be warm, but not here. It's a new furnace & thermostat too so I doubt that something is wrong with it.

I have the opposite problem. We keep the office around 71-73 and I'm always too hot. I keep a fan on me all the time. I talked to my doctor about why I am warm all the time and he said that people with very slow metabolisms are often too warm while people with very fast ones are often cold because their body is burning energy like mad. (lucky ducks!)

Since most of your co-workers are comfortable, I guess I'd suggest you keep a sweater at the office and get a small space heater to put under your desk to blow warm air on you. Do you have a microwave in the office? You can buy or make a sort of flannel scarf that is filled with rice. You microwave it for a minute or so and drape it around your neck to warm yourself up. My hubby uses it all the time when his neck is stiff. I use it when my hands are cold. It really helps.

Kuhio hit the nail right on the head! I am sitting here now in my sweater, with the heater blowing away.....ah, lovely!

When I worked in an office, I was always either really hot or really cold. People were constantly changing the temperature. It should just be left at a certain temperature (according to the season, maybe, but, not according to each individual). I would always just layer. :) I remember a few times stripping down to the least amount of clothes that was acceptable and then an hour later have four layers on. It was so stupid. They wondered all the time why so many people got sick. Duh. ;)

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Originally Posted by kuhio98

I have the opposite problem. We keep the office around 71-73 and I'm always too hot. I keep a fan on me all the time. I talked to my doctor about why I am warm all the time and he said that people with very slow metabolisms are often too warm while people with very fast ones are often cold because their body is burning energy like mad. (lucky ducks!)

Since most of your co-workers are comfortable, I guess I'd suggest you keep a sweater at the office and get a small space heater to put under your desk to blow warm air on you. Do you have a microwave in the office? You can buy or make a sort of flannel scarf that is filled with rice. You microwave it for a minute or so and drape it around your neck to warm yourself up. My hubby uses it all the time when his neck is stick. I use it when my hands are cold. It really helps.

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I never knew that. I guess that would explain it, I have a very fast metabolism, but then again so do the other co-workers.
I think they are warmer because they are always up & moving around.

And yes, I wear a long sleaved shirt under a sweater or fleece and I'm still cold.
I'll ask about the space heater but I think they would complain about the electric bill then, besides Raustyk sleeps under my desk, there won't be much room for a heater under there. lol
Besides, although my body is a little cold, it's not bad, it's mainly my hands. My poor fingers freeze.

My office is cold too right around this time. Since the outdoor temp is changing so much, maintenence is having a hard time getting the building at a steady temp.

It was 40 some degrees last week and the AC was blasting. My fingers were so numb that it was hard to type. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by kuhio98

people with very slow metabolisms are often too warm while people with very fast ones are often cold because their body is burning energy like mad. (lucky ducks!)

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See, for me, I have low blood pressure, and, my doctor always told me that's why my hands and feet are always cold. ;) Like I said, I always layered. We couldn't keep space heaters, although one girl did. (She wasn't a pee-on, though, like little ol' me. ;) ) I always had gloves on, that was fun to type. I think I used fingerless ones a few times. It was so silly. We had a dress code, but, not like you could see what I was wearing because I would so often have so much covering me. :)

i´ve always had that problem, my left hand keeps warm because i sit on it :P but my right hand is soooo cold i´ve had people asked me if i am still alive :P, even if the heater is on or next to me, but it happened most in this place i worked before where the ceiling was made of steel sheets, even they had insulation stuff on them, it pretty cold, and right now i work in a place with glass walls so cold weather gets you very nicely............

i think maybe it the building materials in combinatin with not moving a lot, and maybe that just you, i sometimes bothered my sister with my cold feet and i didn´t felt them cold they just were that way.

you can wear gloves (i started using one, just one hahaha) and theres a thing you put on pizzas (crushed pepper) which i´ve heard that if you stuff them in your socks with heat up your feet (i´ve never tried but that´s what i´ve heard, a lot)

Working in a kitchen busting my butt 99.9% of the time, I wish I had the same problem. :p It's almost ALWAYS hot, in fact sometimes we get so hot we need to walk into the walk-in freezer for a few seconds.

For the cold hands, definitely try the fingerless gloves . . . and if you can't find a thin pair, you can make them. Just snip off the fingers of a regular pair. I type for a living so my hands stay cold, no matter what the temp is. I'm always freezing. The gloves REALLY help!

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

Working in a kitchen busting my butt 99.9% of the time, I wish I had the same problem. :p It's almost ALWAYS hot, in fact sometimes we get so hot we need to walk into the walk-in freezer for a few seconds.

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I worked at Arby's and remember doing that all the time! It was so hot back there making food!

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Originally Posted by christa

For the cold hands, definitely try the fingerless gloves . . . and if you can't find a thin pair, you can make them. Just snip off the fingers of a regular pair. I type for a living so my hands stay cold, no matter what the temp is. I'm always freezing. The gloves REALLY help!

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You are so right! When my hands would get cold, those gloves really came in handy. Ha ha, no pun intended. ;)

It's freezing in my office too. I always have a fleece jacket on my chair and I have a fleece blanket in my drawer (I use it when I wear skirts). I also have a little space heater that sits right next to my computer and blows nice warm air on my arms and face.

Tea! Or coffee. Or mulled cider ...

Get yourself a nice heavy mug, and make yourself a hot drink. You don't have to drink it necessarily, just wrap your hands around it - a heavy mug stays hot longer than a thin cup. And the steam will smell nice and warm, too.

When it gets too cool, either microwave it, or make a new cup! :)

Low-tech, but effective.

I'm usually running around a lot, so I get really warm, even though it's cold if you're doing much. I have to run up and down a flight of stairs each meal someone orders -_-'

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Originally Posted by Karen

Tea! Or coffee. Or mulled cider ...

Get yourself a nice heavy mug, and make yourself a hot drink. You don't have to drink it necessarily, just wrap your hands around it - a heavy mug stays hot longer than a thin cup. And the steam will smell nice and warm, too.

When it gets too cool, either microwave it, or make a new cup! :)

Low-tech, but effective.

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That's a good idea. Before I was a coffee drinker, I used to fill a big mug full of boiling water and just use it to warm my hands.

I have the problem of always being too warm. Summer or winter. The temperature hovers around 76 all of the time. I haven't worn anything with long sleeves in over 10 years.

We have 2 people over 70 years old and one with low blood pressure in an office staff of 8. One of them keeps changing the thermostat. We had a programable thermostat, but they changed that, too. I've been lobbying for a programable thermostat with a locking cover, but I don't kiss the right butt.

I sit most of the day and have low blood pressure so you'd think I'd be cold. Guess I must get enough Naicin in my diet.

I'd love to wear winter clothes but I'm stuck with sleeveless blouses year round. I've threatened to strip more but I'd make everyone gag.

If you're cold, be sure to keep your legs and feet covered-no skirts.

I'm with you on this! We have just moved into a new office and it is permanently hot! Going to be wearing t-shirts in the middle of winter!

The HVAC system in our office is all sorts of messed up. In the back of the office, it's like the Amazon rainforest, it's so hot. Up front where I am, it's @$$-cold all the time. I kid you not - I have my space heater going the entire year - even on 90 degree hot summer days.

To keep warm in winter, I always have an extra jacket/sweatshirt at my desk, the space heater, and a huge supply of tea and hot chocolate.