Hypothermia and Heatstroke: Recognise, Treat, and What's Forbidden
Temperature kills quietly at both ends. The treatments are simple — but several "common sense" actions make it worse, and a few of them are fatal.
Cold: the 6–12 hour threat
Without heating, a person doesn't die in days the way they would without water — but hypothermia can turn life-threatening within 6–12 hours once indoor temperature falls to +5°C or below. Treat the person, not just the room: get them horizontal, remove wet clothing, and wrap them in dry blankets, insulated from the floor.
Hypothermia — what's forbidden
Some "common sense" actions kill. Do not rub the limbs with snow or alcohol, and do not give an alcoholic drink — alcohol opens blood vessels and speeds core heat loss. Warm the core gradually and give warm, sweet, non-alcoholic drinks if the person is fully conscious. Rapidly rewarming the limbs before the core can be dangerous.
Heat: heatstroke is an emergency
Heat kills quietly and mostly indoors — the 2022 European heatwave caused over 60,000 excess deaths, most among people over 65 without air conditioning. Know the line between heat exhaustion (heavy sweating, weakness, nausea — recoverable with rest, shade and sipped fluids) and heatstroke (confusion, hot skin, collapse — a true emergency).
Heatstroke — the golden minutes
This is a race to drop core temperature now: immerse in cool water if you can, or strip, spray with water and fan hard; put cold packs on the armpits, groin and sides of the neck. Do not give fluids to someone confused or unconscious (choking risk), and do not give aspirin or paracetamol — they don't lower temperature in heatstroke. The warning line: a core temperature climbing past 38°C with confusion or stopped sweating is critical.