Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposures to very cold temperatures. When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it’s produced. Lengthy exposures will eventually use up your body’s stored energy, which leads to lower body temperature.
Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia especially dangerous, because a person may not know that it’s happening and won’t be able to do anything about it.
While hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.
Who’s most at risk?
Victims of hypothermia are often:
Older adults with inadequate food, clothing, or heating
Babies sleeping in cold bedrooms
People who remain outdoors for long periods—the homeless, hikers, hunters, etc.
People who drink alcohol or use illicit drugs.
What are the signs and symptoms of hypothermia?
The following are warnings signs of hypothermia:
Adults:
Shivering
Exhaustion or feeling very tired
Confusion
Fumbling hands
Memory loss
Slurred speech
Drowsiness
Babies:
bright red, cold skin
very low energy
Don’t wait – take action
Hypothermia is a medical emergency. If you notice any of the above signs, take the person’s temperature. If it is below 95° F, get medical attention immediately!
If you are not able to get medical help right away, try to warm the person up.
Get the person into a warm room or shelter.
Remove any wet clothing the person is wearing.
Warm the center of the person’s body—chest, neck, head, and groin—using an electric blanket, if available. You can also use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets.
Warm drinks can help increase body temperature, but do not give alcoholic drinks. Do not try to give beverages to an unconscious person.
After body temperature has increased, keep the person dry and wrap their body, including their head and neck, in a warm blanket.
Get the person proper medical attention as soon as possible.
A person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing. In this case, handle the person gently, and get emergency assistance immediately.
Perform CPR, even if the person appears dead. CPR should continue until the person responds or medical aid becomes available. Keep warming the person while performing CPR. In some cases, hypothermia victims who appear to be dead can be successfully resuscitated.
What is frostbite?
Frostbite is a type of injury caused by freezing. It leads to a loss of feeling and color in the areas it affects, usually extremities such as the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, and toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation (removing the affected body part).
Who’s most at risk?
You may have a greater chance of developing frostbite if you
have poor blood circulation
are not properly dressed for extremely cold temperatures
What are the signs and symptoms of frostbite?
If you notice redness or pain in any skin area, get out of the cold or protect any exposed skin—frostbite may be beginning. Any of the following signs may point to frostbite:
A white or grayish-yellow skin area
Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
Numbness
A person who has frostbite may not know they have it until someone else points it out because the frozen parts of their body are numb.
Don’t wait—take action!
If you notice signs of frostbite on yourself or someone else, seek medical care. Check to see if the person is also showing signs of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a more serious condition and requires emergency medical care.
If (1) a person shows signs of frostbite, but no signs of hypothermia and (2) immediate medical care is not available, do the following:
Get the person into a warm room as soon as possible.
Unless absolutely necessary, do not walk on feet or toes that show signs of frostbite—this increases the damage.
Do not rub the frostbitten area with snow or massage it at all. This can cause more damage.
Put the areas affected by frostbite in warm—not hot—water (the temperature should be comfortable to the touch for unaffected parts of the body).
If warm water is not available, warm the affected area using body heat. For example, you can use the heat of an armpit to warm frostbitten fingers.
Do not use a heating pad, heat lamp, or the heat of a stove, fireplace, or radiator for warming. Affected areas are numb and can easily burn.
Don’t substitute these steps for proper medical care. Frostbite should be checked by a health care provider. And remember, Hypothermia is a medical emergency and immediate medical care is necessary.
Be prepared.
Taking a first aid or emergency resuscitation (CPR) course is a good way to prepare for health problems related to cold weather. Knowing what to do is an important part of protecting your health and the health of others.
Being prepared is your best defense against having to deal with extremely cold weather. By preparing your home and car ahead of winter storms or other winter emergencies, and by taking safety precautions during extremely cold weather, you can reduce your risk of developing health problems related to cold weather.
Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather!
Learn about heat-related illness and how to stay cool and safe in hot weather.
High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet more than 600 people die from extreme heat every year.
Take measures to stay cool, remain hydrated, and keep informed. Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can’t compensate for it and properly cool you off. The main things affecting your body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are:
High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly. This keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.
Those who are at highest risk include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.
Closely monitor people who depend on you for their care and ask these questions:
Are they drinking enough water?
Do they have access to air conditioning?
Do they need help keeping cool?
People at greatest risk for heat-related illness can take the following protective actions to prevent illness or death:
Stay in air-conditioned buildings as much as you can. Contact your local health department or locate an air-conditioned shelter in your area. Air-conditioning is the number one way to protect yourself against heat-related illness and death. If your home is not air-conditioned, reduce your risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned and using air conditioning in vehicles.
Do not rely on a fan as your main cooling device during an extreme heat event.
Drink more water than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.
Don’t use the stove or oven to cook—it will make you and your house hotter.
Even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather:
Limit your outdoor activity, especially midday when the sun is hottest.
Wear and reapply sunscreen as indicated on the package.
Pace your activity. Start activities slow and pick up the pace gradually.
Drink more water than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more. Muscle cramping may be an early sign of heat-related illness.
Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
If you play a sport that practices during hot weather, protect yourself and look out for your teammates:
Schedule workouts and practices earlier or later in the day when the temperature is cooler.
Monitor a teammate’s condition, and have someone do the same for you.
Seek medical care right away if you or a teammate has symptoms of heat-related illness.
Everyone should take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and death during hot weather:
Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as you can.
Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty.
Schedule outdoor activities carefully.
Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and sunscreen.
Pace yourself.
Take cool showers or baths to cool down.
Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.
Never leave children or pets in cars.
Check the local news for health and safety updates.
