Hypothermia

In cold weather, your body can lose heat faster than it can produce it. This causes hypothermia — an abnormally low body temperature (below 35°C / 95°F). Hypothermia makes you sleepy, confused, and clumsy. Because it happens gradually and impairs your thinking, you may not recognise you need help — which makes it especially dangerous. Severe hypothermia can be fatal without prompt treatment.

Frostbite is a related cold injury — actual freezing of body tissues, usually on the fingers, toes, ears, nose, and cheeks.

In India, hypothermia is most relevant in Himalayan states (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, parts of the Northeast) and during North India's winter cold waves. It also affects people who are cold and wet — monsoon exposure, river or sea accidents — and those who spend nights outdoors without shelter. Babies and older adults are especially at risk; babies can develop hypothermia from sleeping in an unheated room.

If someone has hypothermia — dial 112. Move them into a warm place, remove wet clothes, wrap them in warm blankets (including the head), and give warm (not hot) non-alcoholic drinks if they are conscious. Do not apply direct heat, rub the skin, or give alcohol — all can worsen the condition.