The Cold Facts about Hypothermia by Thomas Yoon

Reduce Heat Loss. Find shelter from the wind, and cold. This could be under a tree, in tent, or in a sleeping bag. If at all possible, get the victim off of the ground (a foam pad would be ideal). Remove any wet clothing and replace with layers of dry clothing, increased physical activity.

Add Fuel and Fluids. Keep a hypothermic person adequately hydrated and fueled. Give them warm, sweet liquids but NO coffee or tea - and NEVER ALCOHOL!

Alcohol - a vasodilator - increases peripheral heat loss

Caffeine - a diuretic - causes water loss increasing dehydration

Tobacco/nicotine - a vasoconstrictor, increases risk of frostbite

Provide Heat Source. Light a fire or a stove.

Seek Medical Attention as quickly as possible. Never leave a hypothermic victim alone.

Prevention of Hypothermia

Dress Appropriately. Wear clothing to keep the warmth. Avoid cotton!

Stay Dry - be aware that water comes from both the outside (environment) and the inside (perspiration). Stay out of the wind if possible.

Keep Your Body Burning. Stay hydrated, and eat foods like carbohydrates and proteins to provide energy.

Conserve Your Energy. Exhaustion leads to a quicker onset of hypothermia.

Summary

It's important to keep warm and dry during the cold, winter months. Dressing appropriately can make a big difference. Wear several loose, warm layers. Thick wool socks and a cap can combat winter's chills. At night, use extra blankets because hypothermia can develop during sleep. Thermal underwear are excellent for keeping the heat in your body.

Get plenty of rest. Fatigue makes you more vulnerable to subnormal heat and cold. Eat nutritious foods, and exercise moderately. Limit your alcohol intake because alcohol speeds up body heat loss.

I hope this information will serve you well when you travel to the extremely cold regions of the world. As a professional seafarer who had worked in extremely cold regions, I have found that thermal underwear gives excellent comfort even in icy arctic cold weather conditions. Excellent high tech thermal underwear could be obtain from Hi-Tech Thermal Underwear

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