How to fight hypothermia?

Hypothermia is an outdoor killer. Also named “killer of the unprepared,” it is a condition where the body temperature drops too much. It can happen to anyone, although one is more likely to become a victim in a cold wilderness. Unfortunately, it does not have to be super cold outside to become hypothermic, more often than not it will happen on a summer day!

Hypothermia can be deadly but unfolds in various stages: fatigue, becoming irrational, shivering, difficulty to speak, shallow breathing, losing dexterity of your extremities. Recognize those stages and act as soon as possible to counter their effects. Hypothermia can be reversed. Prevention is always the best strategy. Here are common-sense rules:

- Dress properly: do you have enough clothes on your back? Venturing into the woods with just a cotton T-shirt is a death-wish! Avoid cotton at all costs, prefer wool and synthetic materials. Dress for the coldest weather possible in your area. Don’t forget to wear a hat of some sort, preferably a tuque, because brain cooling can make someone irrational and lead to bad actions or to no action. Furthermore, a tuque partially protects from insects if you need to spend a summer night in the Bush.

-Avoid wind and getting wet! Sweating is dangerous, so always dress in layers and remove some of them when getting too hot. Protect your body from wind and water, have some kind of weatherproof jacket and wear it if it rains, even if at first you don’t feel any cold effect. Carry a spare change, you may fall into a river, a lake… If you are immobilized in adverse weather find natural protection from the elements: rocks and snow provide a good windbreak, trees may provide protection from the rain, and grass or branches tucked inside your clothes provide an additional layer of insulation. If you feel cold, first avoid getting colder! And then do actions that will get your body back to a normal temperature.

-Start a hot fire. As soon as a fire is going, put a pot or a cup full of water in it. No reason to not have a titanium pot or cup everywhere you go, they are so light!

-Drink more. Dehydration often goes hand in hand with hypothermia. Warm drinks are good, but avoid alcohol or too much caffeine.

-Eat more: have a little snack! Always carry something easy to eat and boost your body’s temperature. Nuts are a favorite.

-Remove any wet clothing and dry it if possible.

-If hypothermia is advanced and you have to help someone else; try rewarming them with blankets (or a sleeping bag), providing skin-to-skin contact (or adding a hot water bottle in their sleeping bag), or if their condition worsens, and their breathing stops, by carrying out CPR. Hopefully, it does not reach that point, but at least you will know what to do in case it does.

Enjoy the Outdoors, but consider hypothermia as the most potent danger. The threat is always there, but can be managed.

Know more about How to fight dehydration and How to prepare for a winter outdoor adventure.