Hypothermia | Good to know information

Safety Note: never do the wim hof breathing in or close to water! 

What Are the Symptoms of Hypothermia?

Hypothermia symptoms for adults include:
• Shivering, which may stop as hypothermia progresses (shivering is actually a good sign
that a person's heat regulation systems are still active. )
• Slow, shallow breathing
• Confusion and memory loss
• Drowsiness or exhaustion
• Slurred or mumbled speech
• Loss of coordination, fumbling hands, stumbling steps
• A slow, weak pulse
• In severe hypothermia, a person may be unconscious without obvious signs of breathing
or a pulse

Stages
Hypothermia generally progresses in three stages from mild to moderate and then severe.
According to the AAFP, the signs and symptoms of these stages are as follows:

First aid treatment
Anyone with symptoms of hypothermia will need immediate medical assistance. Until
medical assistance arrives, taking the following action can help:
• moving the person to a warm, dry place, if possible, or sheltering them from the elements
• removing wet clothing, cutting items away if necessary
• covering their whole body and head with blankets, leaving only the face clear
• putting the individual on a blanket to insulate them from the ground
• monitoring breathing
• providing skin-to-skin contact, if possible, by removing clothing and wrapping yourself and
the individual in the blanket together to transfer heat
• providing warm drinks, if the individual is conscious, but no alcohol or caffeine

Information Extracted from: WIM HOF METHOD | INSTRUCTOR MANUAL 2019
Poland Winter Expedition on 08.11.2023

If someone is in the water - please note try to remove them horizontally !!!

Recover them as horizontally as possible: If you can avoid lifting them out of the water vertically, do it. The hydrostatic pressure on their body has made it easier for their bodies to maintain blood pressure – as soon as they are removed, the heart must work harder – and a cold heart doesn’t do well as working harder.

information extracted from the maritime executive on 08.113.23: