With daytime highs that are below freezing and night time temperatures in the single digits, the risk for hypothermia increases.

Greene County Public Health Director Shelby Cooklin says hypothermia is when the body’s core temperature is below 95 degrees fahrenheit. She points out some of the risk factors that cause hypothermia include exposure to colder outdoor temperatures with improper clothing or being out in the cold for too long, immersion in cold water and the body’s inability to get dry, with the loss of radiant heat through the body’s extremities being a common cause of hypothermia.

Cooklin notes some of the signs of hypothermia are shivering, slurred speech or mumbling, slow and shallow breathing, lack of coordination and loss of consciousness. She talks about one additional symptom of hypothermia.

“People who are experiencing hypothermia are not usually aware that they have hypothermia. The symptoms come on slowly and then the confusion associated with hypothermia prevents them from being self-aware. This can also lead to more risk taking behavior, maybe that they would otherwise not engage in if they were properly aware of themselves.”.   

Cooklin advises that if you see someone experiencing any of those symptoms that they need to contact 911 or drive them to an emergency room. However, Cooklin states if you are unable to get someone to a hospital or are waiting on an ambulance, move the hypothermic individual into a warmer area, remove any wet clothing and replace it with dry clothing or blankets. She adds ways to prevent hypothermia include wearing multiple layers of loss fitting clothes, wearing a stocking hat, gloves, and a scarf to cover extremities and avoid activities that cause your body to sweat.