Cold Hands Before Work Cost Me 6 Energy (Autism Temperature Sensitivity)
60°F at 4:30am
My family keeps the house at 60°F. I wake up at 4:30am and can immediately tell how cold the entire house is—not just my room. Even under my weighted blanket, the cold is obvious. When it's really cold like this, I have to wait for things to warm up before I can get up and do anything else. This is extremely stressful on days I have to go to work.
On these mornings, I start at ~8–9 Energy and I’m down to ~2–3 before I clock in.
When My Hands Go Numb
After 15-20 minutes in the cold, my hands become very numb. Moving my fingers even a little bit is uncomfortable to the point where I can't pick anything up, open doors, or write something down without being in immense discomfort. The cold doesn't just feel uncomfortable—it removes my hand function entirely.
Why rideshare makes it worse
I wait 5-20 minutes for my rideshare pickup. The wait time is unpredictable. I wear gloves, but they don't help. By the time my driver arrives, I'm already at 4-5 energy from the cold. Then I have to deal with unexpected small talk when I meet my driver, which easily pushes my energy down to just 2-3. All before I even get to my warehouse job.
Heat affects me just as badly—different sensation, same energy drain.
What I tried
I tried running my hands under very hot water at the sink. I thought it would warm them up fairly quickly. Instead, it made the cold sensation on my hands even more noticeable. I could feel them visibly tingling, and it increased my sensitivity to whatever handles or doors I touched. This persisted well over half an hour after running my hands under hot water.
It felt like my nerves were louder, not warmer.
I have a heater in my room, but it takes several hours to get moderately warmer. Even when I'm under my bedsheets, it's still frustratingly cold.
Why it affects work performance
I have to use my hands constantly at work—picking up packages, putting stuff away. My hands already being cold when I arrive makes it hard for my muscles and fingers to warm up. This is stressful because I have to maintain a certain speed at all times during my shift to avoid getting in trouble.
If I'm at 6 energy when I get to work with cold hands, it's slightly more manageable since there's a shorter window for my hands to warm up. If I arrive at work already at 2–3 energy, my hands take longer to ‘come online,’ and I’m racing the rate pressure the whole time.
Why I track it
I'm Omari, a 23-year-old autistic adult who's been managing chronic burnout for 5+ years while working warehouse shifts.
This is why I built Spoons. Tracking shows me when cold days will wipe me out before work starts—so I can plan around it instead of blaming myself.
Launching April 2026. getspoons.app - One email when it's ready. No spam.
— Omari
Note: I’m describing my sensory experience, not giving medical advice. If you're experiencing severe burnout or crisis, please consult a healthcare provider familiar with autism.