Last Updated on May 29, 2026 by Ade Aprilia
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Many people imagine that self-care revolves around meditation apps, drinking green juices in the morning, and setting boundaries with other people. Physical warmth is one of the most powerful tools to take care of yourself. If you’ve ever felt cold all day long, you’ll know what losing body temperature can feel like. It’s something that increases stress and makes you feel on edge.
In this post, we look at some of the reasons why being warm should be part of your self-care routine. We then take a look at some of the options available to you to make this a reality.
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Being warm shuts down your fight or flight response
One of the unsung benefits of being warm most of the time is that it shuts down your fight-or-flight response. When the body is cold, it increases the release of cortisol, which then causes your muscles to tense up and your heart rate to increase. This stops when you feel warm.
When you apply heat, the thermoreceptors on your skin transmit this information to the rest of your body, helping to calm it. You probably know how this feels if you’ve ever held a hot water bottle close to your chest or been in a sauna for a few minutes. Being warm triggers sensations of proximity and safety.
You can be one by using HeatHolders thermal underwear, wrapping yourself in a warm scarf outside, and planning your outfits around temperature variations. Be particularly mindful if you’re going to be outside as this can reduce your core body temperature significantly with long exposure.
Being warm improves sleep quality
Being warm also improves your sleep quality, but perhaps not in the way that you expect. Let’s say that you take a hot bath or shower before bed. This causes your blood vessels to dilate and leads to heat radiating out of the body. When your core temperature drops like this, it signals to the brain to reduce melatonin.
This might sound counterintuitive, but once you climb into your warm bed, you can feel cosy and restful at the same time. Your core body temperature starts to drop, and this mimics the fall in temperature that your body experiences before you fall asleep.
Being warm increases thermal comfort for mental health
Finally, being warm has been shown by psychological research to regulate your emotional state. Many people associate physical warmth with social warmth, which is a powerful emotional regulator. Studies show that people who feel lonely or isolated take longer, hotter showers. They want to feel warm to substitute the emotional warmth that they might be lacking in their lives otherwise. Holding onto hot mugs with both hands and wrapping yourself in a weighted heated blanket can provide the same sort of sensation that social closeness offers.
If you want to build warmth into your day and you have a stressful desk job, take microgrates. You can add heating pads to the back of your chair or bring a small heater with you to work that you can put on your desk for a 10-minute blast. You can also add hot beverages to your routine in the morning, especially herbal teas and bone broths.
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