Hypothermia

Hypothermia can be prevented

Anyone can suffer from hypothermia, but it is preventable if you don’t take risks.

Hypothermia, the condition which occurs when the body’s internal or core temperature drops below the normal 35 degrees Celsius, has many contributing causes – chief among them being in or near water.

Its signs and symptoms however vary according to the degree of body cooling. In mild hypothermia, the person will initially feel cool and start shivering. They might be clumsy and appear uncoordinated, even becoming irrational and confused. Often they will deny that there is a problem.

If cooling continues, people will eventually lose consciousness, collapse and die.

Always wear suitable clothing when in or near the water to minimise body heat loss. Wearing a hat is important too, because up to one-third of the body's heat can be lost from the head. Hunger and fatigue increase the risk of hypothermia. So eat regularly.

 

Hypothermia Symptoms

 

Thermometer

37°

Normal Body Core
Temperature

 
36°

Feel Cold

→ Still alert and able to help oneself
→ Numbness in legs and arms
35°

Mild Hypothermia

→ Shivering
34°

 

→ Clumsy, irrational, confused → May appear drunk
→ Slurred speech → Denies problem
33°

Moderate Hypothermia

→ Muscle stiffness
32°

Severe Hypothermia

→ Shivering stops → Collapse
31°

 

→ Semi-conscious
30°

Critical Hypothermia

→ Unconscious → No response to pain
→ Skin cold, may be blue/grey in colour
29°

 

→ Slow pulse and breathing
→ May be difficult to detect
28°

Cardiac Arrest

→ No obvious pulse or breathing
→ Pupils dilated → May appear dead