freezing cold hands due to nerves – tips?

[samantha-t]

Hi there,
I’m hoping someone has some tips on what to do about my cold hands. My hands have a marked tendency to be cold anyway, but when I’m nervous they are frigid. It feels like they are each isolated within their own tiny refrigerators.

This makes it very difficult to maintain my dexterity. I’ve tried using gloves and/or those skiers’ hand warmers right up until the moment I perform. While this works for a few minutes, the effect slowly wears off and my hands practically turn blue again while I’m in the middle of a piece (and I start getting – or at least feeling – clumsier as a result). I’ve also tried deep breathing to no avail.

Thanks for any ideas.
Samantha

[Tacye]

Wrist warmers may help considerably. Dusty Strings have some which come over the palm, but even shorter ones which end below the thumb make a good contribution as the blood flows near the surface there.

[Alison]

I think it’s more difficult for women if you are wearing a strappy dress to perform in, then your body cools and you have no chance of keeping your hands warm. Is it better when wearing sleeves or bolero ? I make sure I am warm enough in orchestra or weddings.

[samantha-t]

Thanks Tacye, interesting. I just looked at the Dusty Strings ones. I have some thin wool ones quite like that, but didn’t like the feel of the padding between my thumb and the rest of my hand while playing. However, I didn’t think about covering the blood flow in the wrist in general – maybe if I could find some that didn’t separate the thumb and fingers that would work just as well. Or maybe I should just cut up some socks!

Wish I could address the root problem though – reduced flow to the hands due to silly flight-or-fight reaction!

[samantha-t]

Thanks Alison – It doesn’t seem to matter what I’m wearing, really. It happens even in a hot room. It’s an internally generated problem, it seems- my pounding heart keeps all my blood to itself.

[Sylvia]

I’m wondering what kinds of situations you are playing in, and why you are so afraid. I’m not condescending. I was a terror-stricken deer in the headlights for years. Eventually it wore off…erosion, I guess. If you love what you are doing…playing your harp… that positive will overcome the negative.

I try to think of it as this: The people who hire me want the harp and harp music. I am not the center of attention. The harp is. The music is. It’s really not about me, me, me. I think of the musical environment I am creating for them.

But, maybe it’s a health problem like low thyroid. You could ask your doctor about it.

[Philippa mcauliffe]

Mum says look up Raynaud’s phenomenon/disease. Even if you haven’t got it the suggestions to help it might help you. She says she had it for years and it was precipitated by both cold and nerves and it actually got very severe so she would get totally white numb fingers just picking up anything out of the fridge. She tried calcium channel blockers and alpha blockers, got side effects and stopped them both, considered and rejected sympathectomy surgery and eventually it went away when she was pregnant and never came back. Hypnotherapy is also a possible pathway.

[jimmy-h]

I thought raynauds was something affecting the fingertips more than the whole hand, but still it’s something to consider.

Are there any foods that make you flushed/warm? Maybe eat a jalapeno?

[carl-swanson]

Go to my web site, http://www.swansonharp.com, and click on the ‘Articles” page. Then read A PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS, which I wrote for the Harp Column a number of years ago. Your cold hands are a byproduct of the Adreneline rush you get when you get nervous.

[Sid Humphreys]

Carl’s suggestion has helped me a lot. Over the years it has gotten better as I no longer need the Beta Blocker for orchestra rehearsals and only take half a dose for performances.

[faye-fishman]

Have you tried cinnamon or ginger tea? Those spices are warming.

[deborah-lora]

If your hands (and sometimes other extremities — feet, nose) are cold for extended periods of time and not only for performances, this may be a sign of your body being in a general stress state — high levels of stress hormones, a low body temperature. I think this can be caused by a lot things, not necessarily explicit emotional stress. I’ve read a book called Eat for Heat that talks about the science behind body temperature and cold extremities and how to become warm. (I don’t work for this person or anything, just like his books.)

To give a gist of what he talks about in the book, he discusses things like eating foods that raise body temperature such as starchy, salty foods that can be used in a therapeutic manner. The goal there would be to bring your body temperature up, get your body feeling warm for most of the day, including your hands.

Also, I find that if I haven’t eaten for a long time, I am more susceptible to getting a really strong adrenaline rush when playing. But when I eat at consistent intervals, I don’t get that same level of adrenaline rush, where you can physically feel the blood rushing from your limbs to your core. If you’re not interested in purchasing the book, you may find some info on the 180 degree health website.

Take care. And if you do check these things out, I’d love to hear about things.

http://180degreehealth.com/
Eat for Heat: Amazon.com

[Janis Cortese]

A lot of people have said that the only real cure for performance nerves is to simply perform ALL THE TIME. Can you busk, and for extended periods as a matter of course? You may already perform a great deal; I don’t know. Another good resource is a fellow named Don Greene who teachers performance psychology at Juilliard. He’s a great source of how to handle the shakes like that. Good luck — I’ve always hated performing terribly and now that I’m more of a composer, I’m finding it infinitely nicer since I get to make music in private, and in the peace and quiet of my own mind instead of on a stage. This isn’t an option for everyone, though.

ETA: Carl, I just went to your website and read your article, and this sentence — “It occurred to me after one of these concerts that this was the first time in my life that anyone had heard how I could really play.” — was incredibly moving. I’m glad you found a solution.

[samantha-t]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the concern, support and suggestions. Nerves have always been a plague for me on several instruments and voice – takes a lot of the joy out of performing. I get nervous even performing for friends. It’s not a rational thing, and it’s why I quit studying music at university years ago.

Always had cold hands too and the combo is pretty unpleasant. I’ve tried betablockers and found they made the hand problem worse – I was most interested to read about the counter-measure in Carl’s article. But as you all point out, there may be deeper roots to all my problems which I need to address!

[patricia-jaeger]

I have Raynauds Phenomenon, the same diagnosis that Philippa (above) says her mom also has. Be sure to visit either a M.D, or a N.D, to be sure of your particular situation. Many of the above suggestions posted here are good, but research has not yet found a positive cure. I get crystallized ginger lumps from an organic food store, about a pound at a time so it will be several months before I need to get more. This doesn’t interfere with any medicines you would ordinarily take. About an hour before I am scheduled to play, I take 2 or 3 lumps with a glass of warm water, and usually my whole body warms up considerably. Always wear rubber gloves when you wash dishes. The hot water and dishwashing liquid combine to get greasy dishes quite clean, but over time can numb nerves in the bare hands and also remove the natural oils that keep hands healthy. Dress warmer than other people who have no problem with the cold hands that we have; wear mittens earlier in the fall, and later as winter turns into spring.

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