We will tell you how to recognize the signs of hypothermia and frostbite, prevention and first aid for victims. There are people who work on the street, so our advice will be very useful to them.
Particular attention should be paid to clothing. Forget for a while about jackets, sweaters and blouses that leave your lower back bare! Dress like a cabbage - then between the layers of clothing there will always be layers of air that perfectly retain heat. You can look sexy even like this!
Polar explorers advise dressing like this: the layer of clothing that is closest to the body should be made of cotton, because... cotton absorbs moisture well; the second layer is wool (wool retains heat well, absorbs moisture, and warms); the third layer is windproof and waterproof (it prevents cold air from penetrating under clothing and traps heat). Wear loose clothing - this promotes normal blood circulation.
Don't forget about your feet and remember that tight shoes, lack of insoles, and damp socks are often the main prerequisites for the appearance of abrasions and frostbite. This is especially important for those who often have sweaty feet. Look at the shoes you're wearing! Trace your foot on paper, and then take your shoes and trace the sole as well. Now compare - what is the result? You will see for yourself how your foot feels in the “house” that was provided to it. Narrow shoes are not suitable for cold weather! You need to put warm insoles in your boots and wear woolen socks - they absorb moisture, leaving your feet dry.
Don't go out into the cold without mittens, a hat and a scarf. The best option is mittens made of water-repellent and windproof fabric with fur inside. Although gloves made from natural materials are comfortable, they do not protect you from the cold. The cheeks and chin can be protected with a scarf. In windy, cold weather, before going outside, lubricate exposed areas of the body with a special cream. Get help from friends - watch each other's faces, especially the ears, nose and cheeks, for any noticeable changes in color.
Prolonged immobile posture has a negative effect - this contributes to spasm and compression of large vessels of the legs, accumulation of harmful metabolic products in them (tourniquet syndrome). When changing posture, especially sharp straightening of the legs, toxic substances quickly and in large quantities enter the blood and can cause intoxication of the body and accompanying dizziness, headache, increased body temperature, and sometimes disorders of the cardiovascular and other systems.
Hide from the wind - the likelihood of frostbite in the wind is much higher. Do not smoke in the cold - smoking reduces peripheral blood circulation and thus makes the limbs vulnerable. Do not wear metal (including gold and silver) jewelry in the cold: rings, earrings, etc. The metal cools much faster than the body to low temperatures, as a result of which it is possible to “stick” to the skin with pain and frostbite. Rings on the fingers impede normal blood circulation. In general, try to avoid bare skin contact with metal.
Do not quench your thirst with cold water, snow or ice.
Any low temperatures have a negative effect on the body. The lower the ambient temperature, the more difficult it is for the body to maintain all physiological functions normally. We must remember that in windy and humid weather the air additionally “cools” by several degrees. This means that if the temperature outside is minus 10 degrees, but weather forecasters emphasize that there is a strong wind and high humidity outside, then in terms of its effect on the body it can correspond to minus 13-18 degrees.
Trying to retain heat inside the body, the body reduces its release to the outside and does this by reducing the blood supply to the arms, legs and superficial (skin) parts of the body, that is, due to spasm of blood vessels. Therefore, in the cold, the skin at some point turns white. In such “anemic” tissues, metabolic processes are disrupted, venous blood, saturated with toxins, accumulates, and a bluish coloration of the skin may appear. But a spasm of superficial vessels cannot be isolated; there will certainly be a spasm of deeper vessels, although to a lesser extent. This can cause headaches, increased blood pressure, attacks of angina and bronchial asthma and other negative reactions, especially in people with cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary diseases.
Signs of frostbite and general hypothermia:
- pale bluish skin;
- temperature, tactile and pain sensitivity are absent or sharply reduced;
- when warming up, severe pain, redness and swelling of soft tissues appear; - with deeper damage, blisters with bloody contents may appear after 12-24 hours;
- with general hypothermia, a person is lethargic, indifferent to his surroundings, his skin is pale, cold, pulse is frequent, blood pressure is reduced, body temperature is below 36°C
What to do:first of all, it is necessary to warm the victim in a warm room, wrap him in a warm blanket (in case of general hypothermia) or (in case of frostbite) apply a cotton-gauze bandage (7 layers) to the affected part of the body to prevent premature warming of the surface tissues. Warming of the affected part of the body should be gradual, slow, mostly passive. The use of a thermal insulating bandage makes it possible to slow down the external warming of the affected area several times while ensuring general warming of the body.
If the person is conscious, give a warm drink (sweet tea). Call an ambulance. In addition to general hypothermia and freezing of the body, frostbite of individual parts of the body may develop.
Frostbite.
What to do?If your arm or leg is frostbitten, you can warm it up in the bath, gradually increasing the water temperature from 20 to 40° C and gently (!) massaging the limb for 40 minutes. You can additionally place a warm heating pad on your inner thigh or shoulder.
Wipe the damaged part dry, after treating the skin with 70% alcohol (or vodka), bandage it with a sterile dry bandage with cotton wool, and place cotton wool or gauze between the fingers. Do not pop blisters. Contact your doctor.
The ear, nose or cheek are generously lubricated with Vaseline and a dry warming bandage with cotton wool is applied.
Inadmissible (!)rub frostbitten areas of the body with hands, tissues, alcohol, and even more so with snow!
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