Hypothermia risks increase as temperatures decrease; AccuWeather's Tony Laubach tells us about the condition and what you can do to prevent it.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Hypothermia in a nutshell is just a medical emergency
00:03 when your body is losing heat faster
00:05 than it can produce it.
00:06 Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure
00:09 to very cold temperatures.
00:10 Lengthy exposures will eventually use up
00:12 your body's stored energy.
00:14 That leads to dangerously low body temperatures
00:17 at the extreme and can cause dysfunction
00:20 in all your organ systems and eventually lead to death
00:23 if it's severe enough.
00:24 Symptoms may include chills, confusion, and clumsiness,
00:27 and in more severe cases, you could pass out
00:29 or experience heart and respiratory issues.
00:32 If you're experiencing hypothermia,
00:34 get indoors and take off wet clothes and boots.
00:36 A blanket or warm washcloth is a good way
00:38 to gently reheat your body.
00:40 Prevent hypothermia by dressing in layers,
00:42 wearing a hat and appropriate footwear.
00:44 Dr. Yochim also recommends keeping a supply kit in your car.
00:47 Nobody wants to crash their car.
00:49 Nobody wants to have a flat tire in the middle of nowhere,
00:51 but having some hand warmers, gloves, blankets, a poncho,
00:55 those type of things in your vehicle,
00:57 just in case you're gonna get stuck in these situations.
01:00 For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubach.