Ice Cold

I have long suspected this. Women have a lower tolerance to colder temperatures than men. I remember my mom, a 110 lb. woman on a good day and maybe 115 lb. on a bad day, shivering violently (almost to the point of convulsing) after she would drink a 7/11 Big Gulp. But studies show it's not that clear cut - cold men and women.

One study in The Lanclet looked at 219 people of all ages and found that the female subjects averaged higher core temperatures (97.8 degrees Fahrenheit versus 97.4 degrees) but colder hand temperatures (87.2 degrees versus 90 degrees). That could indicate a better ability to conserve body heat and protect vital organs. But less blood flow to the extremities would also mean a greater feeling of cold.

Kathryn Sandberg, director of the Georgetown University Center for the Study of Sex Differences in Health, Aging and Disease, said, "We have lots of data showing that women generally are far more sensitive to feelings of cold," in an article titled A/C Setting Can Push Couples to Boiling Point.

Given a choice between two chambers on either side of their comfort range, males prefer one that is "too cold" and females one that is "too hot." And military research has shown women to be more susceptible to frostbite, hypothermia and other cold-related conditions.

As the cold months stand in front of us, the ultimate advice is to get those warm winter clothes ready - men and women. Lower body temperatures dampen arousal for both men and women due to constricted blood vessels and a slowed heart rate. Here are some tips for the men to "keep her warm" in Men's Health's Warm Her Up.