Hypothermia

     Hypothermia is when the body is losing more heat than it can generate. This can happen if you get cold, wet, or caught in bad weather.  When your body temperature drops below 95F, your blood vessels will constrict and send your warm blood to your major organs.  Your body will do this to keep you alive.  Some symptoms of hypothermia are shivering, tingling, feeling cold and numb, tired and anxious, confusion, irritability, stumbling, falling down, and loss of consciousness.

     You can help someone with hypothermia by helping them regain their normal body temperature.  Get them into warm dry clothes; zip them into a warm dry sleeping bag.  Give them warm or hot liquids, fill up water bottles with warm water and put them in the armpits and groin areas.  Get them medical attention as soon as possible.

     You can avoid hypothermia if you are layered and slowly start removing layers when you get hot and slowly start relayering.  Wear a hat and gloves. Eat plenty of food for energy and drink plenty of fluids.  Keep moving, and camp early.

     The materials you will need to treat hypothermia are warm dry clothes, dry shelter, warm dry sleeping bag, warm liquids, and water bottles.