My husband is cold all the time these days except at bedtime when he says our comforter is too hot and throws it off. Granted, we are in the middle of winter but he is in a warm house and dressed in a sweatshirt so how can he still complain about being chilly? Then we go to bed where he only has a sheet and comforter covering him and suddenly he’s too hot? It makes little sense until I remember that thanks to Parkinson’s Disease his internal thermostats are haywire. The medical term for this condition is thermodysregulation and can actually be life threatening if not monitored carefully.

In order to understand thermodysregulation, we first need to understand what thermoregulation looks like. Our bodies work to maintain a steady temperature so our organs will function at their best. We utilize multiple physical reactions to accomplish that. When we get overheated we sweat, when we get cold we shiver to warm up. Our blood vessels dilate or restrict and our metabolism speeds up or slows down according to whether our body is too hot or too cold. In addition, we need to be able to accurately judge when we are hot or cold and make accommodations to our environment whether it’s adding or subtracting layers of clothing. This regulation is a delicate balance that is thrown off by neurologic disorders like Parkinson’s Disease which can distort my husband’s perception of his current condition and complicate any attempts he may make to overcome it himself.

Untreated dysregulation can lead to episodes of hypo or hyper-thermia where my husband gets too cold or too hot. It might be difficult for me to recognize because the signs of both include drowsiness, fumbling hands or slurred speech which are common PD symptoms. In other words, I need to pay attention when he says he is either too hot or cold because he probably is. I will keep our home thermostat at 72 and have a few throws available in case he needs more. And, I will make peace with whatever works for him at bedtime. I can always add an extra blanket to my side after all.

To learn more about this condition and how it can affect our loved ones check out Thermoregulation: Types, how it works, and disorders on the Medical News Today website.