Knowing how to raise your body temperature may come in handy in some cases - for example, if you are predisposed to having it quite low or are caring for someone with hypothermia. The right foods and drinks, exercise and clothing can help you in your quest. If you are in a dangerously cold environment, it is important to warm up to avoid hypothermia. If, on the other hand, you are deliberately trying to raise your body temperature, be careful not to overdo it, otherwise you could suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Handle a Serious Case
Step 1. Recognize the signs of hypothermia
When your body loses heat faster than it creates, you run the risk of hypothermia; when the body temperature drops below 35 ° C, the organs can no longer function normally. This is a situation that seriously endangers life and health. You can lose your fingers, toes, and even limbs due to the cold, and you could suffer other permanent damage. If you are worried about going into this state, then the matter is very serious and you need to raise your body temperature as fast as you can.
- When hypothermia is still mild you may notice: chills, dizziness, hunger, nausea, rapid heart rate, slight confusion and loss of coordination, aphasia and rapid breathing.
- As the situation worsens, the symptoms also become more severe. The shivering can stop, you can only mumble or mumble, you can feel drowsy, make senseless decisions like trying to take off your warm clothes, feel no worry, your heart rate becomes weak and you breathe shallow. Slowly you can lose consciousness and eventually, if action is not taken quickly to raise the body temperature, death would ensue.
Step 2. Move to a less cold place
If your body temperature has dropped excessively, you need to go warm. If you are outdoors, find a warm room or refuge.
Step 3. Remove wet clothes
Try to cover yourself with as many layers of warm, insulating clothing as possible without neglecting your head and neck. Trim away someone else's clothes if necessary to keep them from moving too much.
Step 4. Rely on direct skin-to-skin contact
If you can't take cover indoors, curl up with another person under a soft layer of several dry blankets or clothes. This is one of the most effective methods of raising and stabilizing the body's temperature quickly.
Step 5. First, warm up your torso
The extremities - hands, feet and fingers - are typically the first parts of the body to become cold, but in extreme situations this heat loss spreads to the trunk. Try to warm your torso, belly, and groin to stabilize the temperature and allow the heart to pump blood. The warm blood will radiate through the vessels starting from the center of the body.
Keep the ends close to your torso. Put your hands under your armpits or between your thighs. Curl up in a fetal position so that heat is trapped between your chest and legs. Try to bring your feet as close as possible to warm their toes and prevent them from becoming too cold
Method 2 of 2: Staying Warm in Cold Weather
Step 1. Put on other clothes
Different layers of clothing help retain body heat and raise overall temperature, so wearing more clothing can reduce the risk of hypothermia. several layers of fabric also maximize heat retention. For example, try dressing like this:
- Tanktop;
- Heavy shirt;
- Sweater;
- Light jacket;
- Heavy coat.
Step 2. Put on a hat, mittens and a scarf
Much of your body heat escapes from your head, so wearing a hat or other type of protection can help. Likewise, gloves and a scarf retain heat from your hands and chest, generally raising your body temperature.
Step 3. Use blankets or other materials instead of clothes
If you really need to warm up due to harsh weather or other reasons and you don't have any additional clothes on hand, then wrap yourself in blankets or towels. If you don't even have these elements, you can improvise with other materials. Wrap the body in newspaper or plastic trash bags.
Step 4. Eat
Digestion typically raises the body's temperature to be able to metabolize food. For this reason, eating any type of food allows you to raise the amount of heat produced at least a little.
- Also remember that the natural attempt that the body makes to raise the temperature also greatly accelerates the metabolism; therefore you burn a lot more calories than normal, compared to when you are not trying to raise your body temperature.
- Consuming food provides you with all the energy needed to allow the body to trigger the natural warming process.
Step 5. Eat hot foods, hot liquids, and sweet foods
If you have hot food and drinks available, you can raise your body temperature more effectively than just digesting, because your body will absorb the heat from what you ingest. Any very hot meal is fine, but hot and sweet drinks are prepared quickly and the sugar will give the body a large amount of calories to digest (thus a lot of energy for the internal "thermostat"). Here is what you should drink or eat:
- Coffee;
- You;
- Hot chocolate;
- Hot milk with or without honey;
- Boiling broth;
- Soup.
Step 6. Stay on the move
Movement allows the body to maintain a stable temperature, and exercise partially counterbalances the effects of the cold environment. Walk or run, do some hops on the spot or dynamic stretching exercises; take some shots or the wheel. The most important thing is not to stay still for more than a few seconds. If you stop, you may notice that the cold becomes more intense.
- Be cautious. In cases of severe hypothermia, a sudden movement or shaking could trigger a heart attack. Do not massage or rub the victim and do not shake them in an attempt to warm them.
- Only rely on movement if the person is not extremely cold or at risk of hypothermia.
