Why Does My Mouse Hand Get Cold When I’m On The Computer?

I spend quite a bit of time doing stuff for our websites. And that means you do a lot of work with computers, and I can't help but notice this thing. And sometimes it happens at home, as well. I guess it's really just a minor inconvenience. I mean, it doesn't stop me from doing my job or looking at cat pictures on the internet. But I can be an alarmist sometimes, maybe just a scosh hypochondriac.  But when I mentioned it to Husbando, he said he gets it too.

So being the modern day internet sleuth that I am, I tried to find out. I've seen a lot of different possible, terrible explanations:

• Abdominal Aneurysm
• Buerger's disease
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Circulatory disorder
• Cockayne syndrome
• Cold weather
• Hip cancer
• Marine turtle poisoning
• Meningococcal disease
• Naked brimcap poisoning
• Raynaud's phenomenon

I then had a small panic attack about each one of those things, because I haven't heard of most of them. Marine Turtle Poisoning? I was pretty sure I didn't have that. I'm also pretty sure my brimcaps are clothed (whatever they are). And, I've eaten burgers my whole life, and it's never been an issue with my hand. So I focused on what might really be the cause of my cold hand.  It might be a little cold in my office, sure. And yeah, I do sit behind a desk a lot.... Bingo. That's the problem.

Apparently when you're at a computer for a long period of time, your blood flow isn't so great. According to the The Jiva Medical & Research Centre:

 

Restricted blood flow is often the culprit. Lack of blood to the muscles, tendons and nerves can cause or aggravate a host of conditions, even, perhaps, arthritis. When you tense a muscle to just 50% of its ability, the blood flowing through the capillaries in the muscle can be completely shut off. Tensed muscle fibres pressure the capillaries thereby restricting the blood flow. As the muscle is continually tensed and no fresh blood is supplied, it switches from aerobic (with oxygen) to anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism.

So it's because we're not moving our arms as much as we should be, holding everything still to use a mouse. What a modern problem to have. So the solution, other than buying a hand warming mouse, is just to get moving a little bit. Change up your setup at your desk.  Or, if you're lazy like me, you just sit on your hand for a bit and use the left one for the mouse.

Handily yours,
Behka