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Why is hypothermia dangerous?

A prerequisite for normal metabolic processes in the human body is the maintenance of his body temperature within certain limits, the lower of which does not go beyond 35 degrees in Celsius. In addition, the body constantly monitors the temperature of the environment, heating or cooling all organ systems as needed through a protective mechanism called thermoregulation.

As part of thermoregulation, the body exchanges energy with the environment with which it comes into direct contact. This process is called convection. At ambient temperatures below 35 C, the human body begins to lose heat, transferring part of the energy to the environment (air, water). The rate and amount of heat loss depend on the thermal conductivity of the environment in which the person is at a given moment and the difference in body and environment temperatures. Compared to air, water has a higher thermal conductivity (30 times more), therefore, at the same temperatures of water and air, a person in the water loses heat much faster.

To a certain extent, the human body is able to regulate heat exchange and increase heat production. An important point with an increase in heat production in the body is to increase the efficiency of the thyroid and adrenal glands, which enhance metabolic processes. There is another way of heating - the appearance of shivering. These functions are assigned to the hypothalamus, which controls the muscle tone of the subcutaneous muscles, increases it, causing muscle tremors. The cardiovascular system is also connected to the heating process, which provides narrowing and expansion of peripheral blood vessels, thereby transporting blood to vital internal organs.

But the possibilities of the organism are not limitless, and a moment may come when the organism will exhaust all resources and will gradually lose energy (heat).

Hypothermia may be subtle to humans. Starting gradually, the hypothermia process goes through several stages.

With body temperatures falling below 35 degrees in Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), the body first begins to fight back using the methods described above. At the same time, a person can observe chills, skin covered with "pimples", increased pressure, increased heart rate and pulse.

Further, the body temperature drops by 1-2 degrees, the skin turns pale, the feeling of cold turns into pain, a slight excitement of the nervous system begins, the consciousness remains clear.

With a subsequent decrease in temperature down to 28-27 degrees (82 degrees Fahrenheit), the skin turns blue, pain sensitivity disappears, pulse beats decrease, pressure gradually drops, breathing becomes rare, speech slows down, coordination of movements is impaired, and drowsiness appears. In this case, liver functions are impaired, a state of hypoglycemia develops, signs of heart failure appear.

At a body temperature below 27 degrees, a condition close to death develops. In this case, a person may fall into an unconscious state, he has a muscle spasm, rare breathing (almost imperceptible), the pulse may be rare or not felt, the pressure is low. In this state, cardiac arrest is possible.

A body temperature below 24 degrees is considered irreversible for many vital processes. Death occurs as a result of suppression of the functions of the central nervous system, which regulates respiration and heart function.

In order to get hypothermia , it is not necessary to expose the body to freezing temperatures. This can happen:

as a result of swimming in water at a temperature of 24 in Celsius and below,
when diving and being in the water for a long time without a special suit,
when swimming in a pool with water at room temperature immediately after the sauna,
when walking in clothes that do not correspond to the weather conditions,
when putting cold or wet clothes on the body,
with an incorrectly adjusted air conditioning system,
when in a draft,
with congenital or acquired disorders of the hypothalamus and other organs and organ systems involved in the process of heat regulation.

It must be remembered that some substances disrupt the natural mechanisms of heat regulation:

alcoholic beverages increase heat transfer due to the expansion of peripheral blood vessels at the moment when vasoconstriction is necessary,
some drugs (antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, barbiturates) can suppress muscle tremors.

To avoid hypothermia, you should carefully monitor the temperature regime of the environment and use any possible means of protection against hypothermia . If necessary, you need to be able to properly provide first aid to yourself and other people who are in a state of hypothermia.