The confused state of mind
Confused state of mind
Are You in a confused state of mind, breathing slow and cold skin?
As you all know our normal body temperature is 98.6 F. If the temperature is less than 95 F that is dangerous. It means your body loses more heat than it produces heat. All organs of the body are affected by this and stop working properly. Heart and nervous system can not work properly and leads to death also in severe cases. There may be several reasons for hypothermia but the main reason is the cold temperature. Let us first have a look at what are the possible causes of low body temperature.
Causes of low body temperature-If the body temperature is less than 95 F, that can be dangerous. Let us have a look now what are the possible causes of the low body temperature or hypothermia-
1)Chill factor
If you are staying out in the cold for long, you can be a victim of hypothermia. Hands and feet become cold and numb and start shivering. So cold weather or chilly wind is responsible for low body temperature. The cold wind and weather make the breathing difficult and jammed ears too. So chill weather is responsible for hypothermia.
2)Dry locations-The dry weather and conditions are the other reason for low body temperature. Dry weather conditions lead to dryness of the body and the body temperature becomes low. It leads to dizziness. It makes the organs function in a disrupt way.
3)Being in a wet state for long-If you are wet for long and remain in water or rain for long that can cause low body temperature. Also, water exposure for long may lead to disturbing the normal temperature of the body. Hence, it leads to colder situations. Your whole body becomes numb, gives shivering and leads to hypothermia.
4)High thyroid levels can be the other possible cause of low body temperature
Hypothyroidism is a condition where your body produces more hormones than usual. High thyroid level also affects the body temperature making it low or high. Usually, it brings the body temperature low and makes the functionality of the organs disrupt.
Possible signs and symptoms of hypothermia-Hypothermia is a gradual process and it comes with slow symptoms. All the symptoms occur gradually. You may have more than one symptom at a time. Now I am going to focus on what are the possible signs and symptoms of hypothermia-
a)Slow breathing- The very first symptom of hypothermia is you feel difficulty in breathing. The breathing process becomes slower. Your organs are not able to take the things. You start feeling uneasy.
b)Low memory and the confused state of mind-You feel like dismantle. You are in a confused state of mind and find difficulty in co-ordinating the things. The memory becomes slow and you find it difficult to recollect the things.
c)Low energy level-You find it difficult to remain active. The organs become slower and you feel like your body is lifeless. You are low on energy and feel fatigued all the time and gets tired easily.
d)Lack of co-ordination-You becomes numb. It becomes difficult to take things quickly. This lack of coordination leaves you perplexed and you find it difficult to handle the things comfortably and efficiently.
e)The coldness of hands and feet- Yas ice as cold and energy-less.
f)Joint pains-This is also the most common symptom of hypothermia. You feel joint pain and swelling. The people suffering from arthritis are also more prone to low body temperature or hypothermia.
g)Dizziness-Loss of consciousness or dizziness is also the most common symptom of hypothermia. You become unconscious and find it difficult to co-ordinate the petty things at the moment.
h)Shivering and headaches
Your body trembles and shivers. Hands shivers a lot. Besides these symptoms the nerves of the head become stiff. You find difficulty in sound and light. Migraines become more severe.
If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, it is better to consult the physician and get the proper diagnose. Any of the symptoms can be a false alarm too but better to get diagnosed. Now let us have a look at who are the possible targets of hypothermia or the people at the most risk of low body temperature.
PEOPLE AT THE MOST RISK OF HYPOHYPOTHERMIA
Further, let us have a look at what are the possible targets of hypothermia-
1)Infants and kids are the most possible targets as their body is too fragile to bear cold temperature. So the babies need to be taken extra care in cold weather. Kids under 5 years are also at higher risk of hypothermia.
2)Aged people or elderly people are at the most risk of low body temperature
3)Mentally sick people
4)People suffering from arthritis and joint problems
5)People consuming more antibiotics
6)People with poor nutrition levels
7)People suffered from diabetes and spinal cord injuries
8)Drug-addicted people
9)People suffering from hypothyroidism
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
Prevention is always better than cure. When it comes to hypothermia, you need to follow certain tips that help you to provide a shield against these ailments. Moving on, I am going to throw light on the preventive measures to avoid hypothermia.
1)Put warm clothes-As hypothermia is caused due to chill factor, it is necessary to cover your body. Especially kids and elderly people need to be extra careful. Always keep the ears covered with a cap and always wear socks in the feet. For hand also instead of gloves wear the mittens. Wearing warm woolen and silk clothes protect keeps you warm and acts as a shield against the cold weather conditions. So stay warm.
2)Hot beverages-Always consume hot beverages and drinks and avoid the consumption of cold food items such as chilled beer, ice-creams, etc. Instead drink hot tea, coffee, warm water mixed with honey. For children, you can give hot chocolates. So better to consume hot drinks and beverages.
3)Avoid activities that indulge sweating
Heavy exercises and activities that cause a lot of sweating leads to low body temperature. So prefer light exercise, warm-up activities, and other such activities.
4)Try to stay dry-Avoid activities such as swimming which includes excess wetting. If you are drenched in rain or waterfall, immediately change clothes and make the hair dry. Avoid exposure to water for long. It is the major cause of low body temperature in men, women, and kids.
5)Sunlight exposure-Try to be in contact with the sun. Sit in the sun in the early morning. It will improve your bone health too and helps to solve joint pain and arthritis problems too by improving the levels of Vitamin D in the body and producing heat and thus prevents hypothermia conditions.
6)Measure and monitor the temperature regularly-Get a constant eye on your body temperature. Monitor it regularly daily so that you can analyze the thorough changes in the bodily changes. Also, if it shows more fluctuations, better to consult the physician. So keep a regular check on the body temperature through a digital thermometer or normal one.
7)Medication and exercise
Through proper medication and exercises, you can protect your body. So it is advisable to consult a good physician, get thoroughly the temperature monitored, follow the exercise routine and medication and this will help a lot in tackling hypothermia or low body temperature.
Author:
Sunita Panwar(Neetu) is living in Noida. She did her BBA(Bachelors in Business Administration) and MBA(Finance)from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. She has also studied Journalism and Mass Communications. Sunita had been in South Africa for 5 years. Writing is her passion. Health, fitness, and nutrition always has been her areas of interest. She has been writing blogs for some magazines and websites too. Authentic and interesting topics are what you are gonna read in the near future.
