Freezing

Freezing is the suppression of vital functions up to their complete disappearance, caused by cooling of the body.

When body temperature decreases, blood vessels constrict to retain heat in important organs. If cooling continues, body temperature drops below 35°C, and the functioning of the nervous system and internal organs is disrupted.

The first signs of freezing are trembling and numbness of the limbs. Then drowsiness appears, pulse and breathing slow down. With a further decrease in temperature, loss of consciousness and ultimately cardiac arrest occurs.

To avoid freezing, you need to warm up and restore normal body temperature as quickly as possible. If your extremities are frostbitten, you should not rub them; it is better to slowly warm them with heat. Timely assistance can prevent death.

Develops as a result of general hypothermia of the body during prolonged exposure to the cold, especially in damp, windy weather. With high humidity and strong winds, freezing is possible, even if the air temperature is above zero.

The lower the air temperature, the faster freezing occurs. Fatigue, fasting and alcohol intoxication also contribute to rapid freezing.

A person freezes especially quickly in water. Staying in ice water for 1/2-1 hour is deadly, and sudden immersion in such water can cause cold shock. Freezing often accompanies frostbite. When freezing, muscle tremors initially occur, breathing and pulse quicken, and the skin becomes pale.

Subsequently, body temperature decreases significantly (so-called hypothermia), drowsiness develops, muscle tremors disappear, and due to the dilation of skin vessels, a feeling of warmth occurs. But this feeling of warmth is deceptive, because the expansion of skin vessels contributes to the loss of heat by the body and leads to even stronger cooling. In this case, the heart rate slows down, blood pressure drops, breathing becomes shallow and rare (4-6 times per minute), the victim loses consciousness; During this period, death may occur.

The victim should be immediately warmed up in any way (applying heating pads, wrapping him up warmly, etc.), give a small dose of alcohol orally and after warming up send him to a hospital, i.e. prolonged deep cooling causes serious complications that require immediate treatment (disorders of the cardiovascular system, impaired urination, swelling of the brain and lungs, etc.). Rubbing with snow is completely unacceptable. Such “help” sharply worsens the victim’s condition.

To prevent freezing during prolonged exposure to the cold (for example, during winter hikes, street work and forestry), it is necessary to have appropriate clothing and footwear, as well as provide yourself with hot drinks and food.

Freezing is a condition in which the body is unable to maintain body temperature within the normal range, and can therefore result from chilling or freezing. It can lead to serious health consequences and even death. In this article we will look at the signs and consequences of freezing, as well as ways to protect against it.

Signs of freezing:

1. Numbness and loss