Hand warmers

NPP · March 2021

could anyone recommend a solution for keeping hands warm? Not least in preparation for actually playing guitar, but also for more general use. I sit at my desk all day long and my hands are perpetually freezing cold, to the extent that it's painful rather than just uncomfortable. There are lots of electric handwarmers on Amazon, plus some disposable stuff and things that go in the microwave. The latter wouldn't work for me, for lack of a microwave.

I'd be grateful for any tips and experiences fretboarders may have to share.

RaymondLin · March 2021

Some of these hand warmers can be reactivated via boiling in a sauce pan of water.

Jalapeno · March 2021

Gloves or Mittens ?

Not found anything that does the job while playing tbh

NPP · March 2021

Jalapeno said:

Gloves or Mittens ?

Not found anything that does the job while playing tbh

wouldn't need it while playing - if I somehow get the hands warm before I pick up the guitar they will stay warm. But often they are so cold by the evening that I simply can't face picking up the guitar in the first place.

Mittens not a good idea when trying to type ...

wibble · March 2021

NPP said:

Jalapeno said:

Gloves or Mittens ?

Not found anything that does the job while playing tbh

wouldn't need it while playing - if I somehow get the hands warm before I pick up the guitar they will stay warm. But often they are so cold by the evening that I simply can't face picking up the guitar in the first place.

Mittens not a good idea when trying to type ...

fingerless gloves

NPP · March 2021

RaymondLin said:

Some of these hand warmers can be reactivated via boiling in a sauce pan of water.

do they work? Online reviews are, as usual, mixed and not really helpful. On the other hand, they are cheap enough to just try for myself rather than rely on reviews. Maybe I should just order a selection of various devices and see which works best rather than waste time thinking about it (but cold hands make the brain freeze as well...)

fingerless gloves would have to be heated to be any use

Kittyfrisk · March 2021

Secretary where I used to work would declare any drop below 25ºC as 'freezing'...
She swore by these type of fingerless USB powered gloves (I have no experience directly) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Powered-Stripes-Knitting-Fingerless-Washable/dp/B08MWDQS86/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=heated+fingerless+gloves&qid=1614870275&sr=8-5

kaypeejay · March 2021

Is there are reason your hands are so cold? Bad circulation eg Raynaud's disease? Liver problems can be a cause. Not got your central heating on? (Pulling your leg with that one!)

Is it worth looking for the cause first? A friend of mine had liver problems and he wore fingerless gloves so he could still type at a keyboard otherwise his hands were permanently cold. I think they work better than you give them credit for. When he got the correct medication it solved his circulation problems. Not saying you have any of these problems but it does beg the question if this happens often.

vasselmeyer · March 2021

This is quite interesting, recarding the reusable ones:

RaymondLin · March 2021

NPP said:

RaymondLin said:

Some of these hand warmers can be reactivated via boiling in a sauce pan of water.

do they work? Online reviews are, as usual, mixed and not really helpful. On the other hand, they are cheap enough to just try for myself rather than rely on reviews. Maybe I should just order a selection of various devices and see which works best rather than waste time thinking about it (but cold hands make the brain freeze as well...)

fingerless gloves would have to be heated to be any use

They work but they don't last forever, in fact, about 30mins of "peak" heat is all you can ask for from them.

What I do when I am say in a cold country is have a few of them in the bag. Use one when it gets too cold, then use another one a couple of hours later. Spread them out.

Jalapeno · March 2021

Definitely get yourself checked out as it is a lot milder now than it was a couple of weeks back.

Those USB fingerless jobs look ok. There are others on Amazon with more stars, and a lot more reviews.

NPP · March 2021

thanks @RaymondLin for the useful video, and @Kittyfrisk for the link to the gloves.

@kaypeejay you are right, there's a reason - bad circulation. I'm fine when I exercise or walk briskly but most of my day is spent at the desk. I always wear woollen wrist warmers and I do have the heating on but to to have an effect on my hands the room would have to be far hotter than is comfortable. That's why I'm looking to apply heat directly to the hands.

the_jaffa · March 2021

Put a jumper on.

Unless there is something actually wrong then you need to keep your core warm. Once your core cools your body restricts the circulation to your extremities like hands and feet in order to keep the warmth in your vital stuff.

Sassafras · March 2021

I'm extremely cold blooded and my hands are always frozen.
Only thing I've found that works is rubbing my hands and fingers together, frequently.
Annoying to have to do it but it works.
Unfortunately, it makes me look like a dirty old man about to carry out a sexual assault.

kaypeejay · March 2021

I too have quite bad circulation (runs in the family) and I find it helpful to get up on a regular basis and run up and down the stairs which not only gets me moving but also builds up a bit of heat in my body and gives me a break from the screen. It helps living in a 3 storey house! Weirdly, I find it worse around lunchtime and then after eating lunch it seems to be better.

Keiko · March 2021

Those re-usable hand warmers that you boil to reset are great. I've got a couple. Very useful a few weeks ago for dog walking when it was absolutely freezing outside, pop them inside your gloves. They only last about 30 to 40 mins though. However when you reset them in boiling water for 5 mins they also stay very warm for about an hour or so.

scrumhalf · March 2021

I get very cold hands due to medication. When I mentioned it to my GP he said "get a better pair of gloves". That sounds a bit harsh, but he pointed out that hands can be warmed whereas there was no reasonable alternative to the medication. Your solution will need to be targeted, do you need to warm your hands up or to keep them in an already warm state?

I use varyious things to try and help me out.

- Two pairs of gloves. I use two pairs of thinner gloves when out and about in cold weather. It's impractical for doing some things, having to stand there and take two pairs of gloves off whilst someone looks at you like you were wearing two pairs of trousers. I have no problem wearing gloves indoors at home, and dangling them in front of a fan heater or putting them on a radiator to warm them up before putting them on helps the warming process.

- Keep wrists covered. Don't let cold air get up your sleeves. I've found that if my wrists are warm and my neck is warm then most other bits of me get warmer.

- Little hotties. These are disposable hand warmers that last for about eight hours. Probably not environmentally friendly and, over the course of a winter not the cheapest solution but if you haven't got a pan of boiling water to hand to revive the re-usable hand warmers they are a good solution. And they last for eight hours.

- I've found fingerless gloves to be less than effective, especially if your fingers are colder than your palms.

I have a drawer full of gloves that were bought with hope but turned out to be ineffective.

calazul · March 2021

I have a couple of these https://www.thehotrox.co.uk/ they last a good hour from a charge and do the job. I have had them a few years and seem to be standing up ok.

NPP · March 2021

cheers everyone!

@scrumhalf agree with much of what you say. @calazul looks like a good purchase. As to the things you need to put into boiling water, I had an inspiration and placed a hot water bottle under my wrists on the desk which seems a more direct way of achieving the same thing.

Springywheel · March 2021

Cover yourself in deep heat and get up against a radiator (Withnail & I ref)

BluesLover · March 2021

A lady I worked with had a similar problem, the employer got her a sit and stand desk, so if she felt cold she could stand to work and sort of be more active whilst working. Might help?

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