Cold feet at your desk: what really helps in the office?

• If you sit for long periods, lack of movement and cool floors soon make your feet cold.
• A room temperature of at least 19 to 20 degrees Celsius helps to stop you feeling cold.
• Movement breaks such as circling your feet and standing up put some energy into your working day.
• The FW 20 warms your feet soothingly with its fast heat-up function.

Anyone who sits at a desk for long periods knows the feeling: your upper body is warm, but your feet get colder and colder, no matter how many pairs of socks you put on. This has less to do with imagination than with sitting itself: when you sit, your blood circulates more slowly, and your feet often rest on a cold floor. The following sections show which adjustments you can make yourself at your workplace.

Why feet get cold at your desk

Cold feet are usually the result of your body's strategy for keeping warm. In the cold, it concentrates heat where the vital organs are: in the chest and abdomen. The blood vessels in the arms and legs narrow, less warm blood reaches the extremities, and hands and feet cool down^[1]. This reaction is normal and usually harmless.

At your desk, a second factor comes into play: sitting for long periods itself. While your body is sitting, it switches to energy-saving mode, blood circulates more slowly and the leg muscles stay inactive^[2]. The heat your muscles produce in everyday life simply disappears on the chair. On top of that, conditions at the workplace cool your feet down even further:

• Hours with little leg movement, so the muscle pump in your calves works less hard.
• A cool floor and an often draughty space for your feet under the desk, for example near a door or window.
• A room temperature that is sometimes turned down in winter to save energy.
• Tight shoes and constricting socks or tights that restrict the blood flow in your feet even further.

To put this in context: cold feet in winter are usually harmless. However, if they persist even at normal temperatures or if other symptoms appear, there may also be medical causes behind them, such as an underactive thyroid or circulatory disorders^[1]. That needs to be checked by a doctor^[3].

Room temperature is the first thing to adjust against cold feet at your workplace. The German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) recommends not letting the daytime temperature in living spaces drop below 19 to 20 degrees Celsius; below that, not only does the risk of mould rise, it also becomes uncomfortably cold^[4]. So if you work from home, it pays to watch the thermometer rather than letting the whole room cool down. Where targeted warmth supplements the room heating, you can even save on heating costs.

The second thing to adjust is your clothing. DAK-Gesundheit points out that the wrong clothes and shoes encourage icy feet: socks should not constrict and shoes should be wide enough^[3]. Warm drinks and regular movement also help your body hold on to its warmth during the day.

• Check the room temperature: set it to at least 19 to 20 degrees Celsius during the day^[4].
• Wear woollen socks or slippers at your desk that keep you warm without pinching.
• Use a thick rug or mat under your desk so that your feet are not standing directly on a cold floor.
• Check for draughts around your feet and move your desk if necessary.
• Have warm drinks throughout the day, because if you drink too little, you may feel the cold sooner^[3].

What a foot warmer can do at your workplace

If room temperature and clothing are not enough, targeted warmth helps exactly where it gets cold: at your feet under the desk. An electric foot warmer is a very cosy option for this, because it surrounds your feet like a warm pocket instead of only heating them from below. The FW 20 Cosy Grey is made for precisely this situation: a teddy-plush footmuff that you simply slip your feet into. The newest model in our foot warmer family, the FW 30 Comfy feet, follows the same principle: it wraps your feet in fluffy, snuggly fleece, has three temperature settings and, like the FW 20, is suitable for feet up to shoe size 47.

Technically, the FW 20 works with three temperature settings: setting 1 provides minimum, setting 2 medium and setting 3 maximum warmth. An integrated fast heat-up function makes sure the foot warmer warms up quickly within the first few minutes. The illuminated settings on the control show you at any time which temperature setting is selected.

Important to know: the FW 20 is a comfort product, not a medical device. Its warmth provides a pleasant sense of wellbeing at your desk, but it does not replace a medical assessment if cold feet keep coming back. You can read about the other foot warmer formats and how they differ in everyday use in our guide on foot warmers and heated slippers. For an overview of the whole product group, see our foot warmer category.

Sitting posture, breaks and movement at your desk

A foot warmer is no substitute for movement, as your feet cool down mainly because your leg muscles are idle while you sit. IKK classic therefore recommends dynamic sitting: changing your posture regularly instead of staying rigidly in one position, because changing how you sit again and again supports blood flow to the muscles^[2]. Even small exercises at your desk get your legs moving again:

1. Raise and lower your heels: keep the toes of both feet on the floor while you raise and lower your heels in turn. Acting as a muscle pump, this movement gets your circulation going and helps the blood flow back through the veins.
2. Circle your feet: lift one foot slightly and circle it several times in both directions, then switch^[5].
3. Stretch your legs: stretch out one leg, pull your toes towards you and stretch your calf and the back of your thigh.
4. Stand up regularly: deliberately place the printer, your glass of water or your next meeting so that you have to walk a few steps. As a rule of thumb: about two minutes of movement for every half hour of sitting^[2].

A reminder on your screen helps you actually take these breaks. The AOK also recommends foot exercises as a targeted measure against cold feet, in other words consciously moving your feet in everyday life^[6]. If you combine the exercises with warm clothing and a warm drink, you give your feet support at your desk in several ways at once.

Using the foot warmer at work

At work, the FW 20 is straightforward: plug it into the socket, set the slide switch to setting 1, 2 or 3, and the illuminated settings show that it is on. For long days at the office, the instructions for use contain a few rules that keep it safe to use for hours:

• If you use it for several hours, set the lowest temperature setting (setting 1). The instructions for use recommend this to avoid overheating your feet, which may lead to burns to the skin.
• The automatic switch-off stops the heating after approx. 90 minutes, and the temperature setting display then flashes. To keep using it, briefly switch the control off and on again.
• Route the cable and control so that nobody trips over them: the instructions for use explicitly point out that the cable and control can pose a risk of becoming entangled and tripping if they are not positioned properly.
• Do not cover the control or put anything on it, because the electronic components in the control warm up during use.

For care: small stains on the foot warmer can be removed with a damp cloth; only the removable teddy lining may be washed, in the washing machine at 30 °C on an extra-gentle cycle. Always unplug the device before cleaning, and only use the foot warmer again once everything is completely dry.

Who must not use the foot warmer

The FW 20 instructions for use (as of 6 October 2023) name groups of people and situations for which the foot warmer is not suitable. We reproduce these restrictions here word for word and in full:

• "This foot warmer must not be used by persons who are not sensitive to heat or by other vulnerable persons who are unable to react to overheating (e.g. diabetics, persons with skin alterations due to illness or scarred skin in the application area, after taking pain relief medication or alcohol)."
• "This foot warmer must not be used on very young children (0-3 years), as they are unable to react to overheating."
• If you have a pacemaker: the electrical and magnetic fields of the foot warmer may interfere with its function under certain circumstances. Please therefore consult your doctor and the manufacturer of your pacemaker before use.
• Do not place a hot-water bottle or heating pad on the foot warmer while it is in use, and do not cover the control.

For any other questions about suitability, the enclosed instructions for use are the binding reference.

Foot warmer, movement or both: the decision

It is not a question of either-or. Movement breaks remain essential, because only they tackle the cause: leg muscles that stay idle while you sit. The foot warmer cannot take that over, but it does not have to. It does exactly what movement and room temperature cannot do at your desk: it keeps your feet warm where they have to stay put, for hours at a time, with soothing warmth that can help you relax.

• The FW 20 is suitable for feet up to shoe size 47 (EU).
• The removable teddy inner lining is washable at 30 °C on an extra-gentle cycle.
• The FW 20 comes with a 3-year guarantee.

If you also like your sofa and bed warm on cold days, we have brought our whole range of heating products together on one page. If your feet regularly get cold at your desk, take a look at the Beurer FW 20 on beurer.com: there you will find all the details on the teddy-plush footmuff, the three temperature settings and the fast heat-up function. Our newest model, the FW 30 Comfy feet, is the fluffy alternative in snuggly fleece, also with three temperature settings and a safety switch-off after 90 minutes.