For the past two years, it has been a tradition
for some friends and I to go for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean on New
Year’s Day. We’d drive to Ditch Plains, strip down and
run as fast as we could into the sea. Some of us would linger to see
who could stay in the longest, but with water temperatures of around
50 degrees, none of us really pushed the envelope.
Many cultures believe water is a symbol of cleansing and rebirth.
For us, it was supposed to bring good luck for the coming year. This
year, I was away and didn’t get into the Atlantic as usual.
I had been having a very regrettable 2007, so I decided to take a
quick dip in the bay. Things have been much brighter since.
While I subscribe to naked swimming in the winter, I have to warn
anyone that may take up the charge for a little change of luck. Before
you decide to go for a quick dip, or even a kayak, you should know
a thing or two about hypothermia.
Everyone’s heard of it, but how fast can you get it? Coecles
Harbor, where I went for my little swim, is roughly 45 degrees. At
that temperature, the human body can last somewhere between 30 minutes
to an hour before it is either riddled with exhaustion or becomes
unconscious and if the person doesn’t drown, he or she has between
one and three hours of survival time before they die. Then again,
if you decide to go for a skate on an icy pond, which is never a good
idea, and fall through the ice, you could become unconscious in less
than 15 minutes and dead in under an hour.
Let’s face it, the majority of people out there aren’t
about to jump in the bay due to some ridiculous superstition, but
with the mild air temperatures, people have been kayaking (especially
now that there is a bunch of dolphins swimming around.)
Like sunstroke, the elderly, young, weak, and the drunk are more at
risk than other parties, but anyone who spends time near the water
in the winter and early spring should be aware of hypothermia. That
said, it doesn’t only happen in water. Hypothermia is simply
the loss of too much heat from the body. Despite the fact that 60%
of Americans are considered obese, we still do not have enough fat
under our skin to keep us warm out in the elements. No matter how
much your friends joke, we also do not have enough hair on our bodies
to result in any form of insulation. When exposed to the cold, our
bodies radiate heat into the atmosphere. If enough heat is lost, hypothermia
occurs.
How do you spot hypothermia in those who have been exposed to the
elements? Shivering is a good start. While shivering doesn’t
necessarily mean a person is hypothermic, it is an indication that
their body is losing heat. More obvious signs of actual hypothermia
are stumbling, mumbling, slurred speech, cold skin, lethargy, fatigue,
and very slow breathing.
If you find someone suffering from these symptoms, there are several
measures you can take. Call 911 and get them inside and out of their
wet clothing. If the victim is unconscious, not breathing, or has
no vital signs, begin performing CPR immediately. Lay the person on
his or her back in a bed or on a dry, warm blanket. Do not stick the
person in a bathtub of warm water, or use a heating pad or any other
type of direct heat to raise his body temperature. Do not attempt
to warm up the arms and legs, because the cold blood will be forced
back to the victim’s heart, dropping the core temperature and
possibly killing them. Focus on restoring their core temperature.
Remove your clothing and lay next to him, ensuring skin on skin contact,
under a blanket. (Be an adult, this is a life or death situation,
no one’s gonna care about your love handles.) Warm beverages
will also help increase body temperature from the core out, but NO
BOOZE. Even though it feels warm going down, alcohol will actually
cause a drop in body temperature.
With this kind of threat lurking out there, maybe I shouldn’t
be taking winter swims by myself. In no time, my good luck could turn
bad. Then again, what’s life without risk and a little luck?
