How did you get on?
If you managed to come up with something close to this - well done.
Water below 15ºC is regarded as cold water and can seriously affect your movement and breathing. Cold water shock triggers the closure of blood vessels in the skin, elevating blood flow resistance and prompting an increase in heart rate. Consequently, the heart is compelled to Intensify its efforts, leading to a rise in blood pressure. Notably, even those who are relatively young and healthy can be susceptible to heart attacks due to cold water shock.
Simultaneously, the abrupt cooling of the skin induces an involuntary gasp for breath, causing breathing rates to fluctuate uncontrollably, at times surging by as much as tenfold. These physiological responses collectively contribute to a sense of panic, heightening the risk of inhaling water directly into the lungs.
This perilous sequence of events unfolds rapidly; a mere 275ml or half a pint of seawater entering the lungs can initiate drowning in a fully grown man. Urgent medical attention is imperative, as the consequences can be fatal if immediate medical care is not administered.
The effects of cold water usually pass in under a minute, take that minute to gather what thoughts you can, try to remain calm and keep your head out of the water.
It is widely accepted that there are 3 stages to hypothermia (I know there are some agencies that have up to 5 but let's keep it simple). We know that we are said to be in a state of hypothermia when your core temperature drops to 35ºC
Stage 1 - For mild hypothermia (35 to 32ºC), signs and symptoms include:
- pale and cool to touch as blood vessels constrict in the skin
- numbness in the extremities
- sluggish responses, drowsiness or lethargic
- shivering
- increased heart rate and breathing.
Stage 2 - For moderate hypothermia (32 to 28ºC), signs and symptoms include:
- decreasing conscious state
- urine incontinence as a result of an increased workload on the kidneys related to blood being shunted to the major organs
- no longer shivering
- slowed heart rate, breathing rate and low blood pressure.
Stage 3 - For severe hypothermia (below 28ºC), signs and symptoms include:
- unconscious and no longer responding
- the heart beats more slowly and may become irregular before ultimately stopping if the person gets too cold
- no response to light in the pupil of the eye
- rigid muscles – the person might feel like they are in rigour mortis
- pulses and respiratory effort may be present but hard to detect.
Fun facts - Water conducts heat 25 times faster than air, one litre of water can hold approximately 3000 times more heat than one litre of air. It is little wonder you get cold quicker in water!