Too Hot or Too Cold? How the Body Responds to Extreme Temperatures

What is Hypothermia and How is it Treated?

Hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to impaired bodily functioning. This is the result of the body losing heat faster than it can be produced, typically observed when someone is in extreme cold conditions, wet for prolonged periods of time, etc. Mild hypothermia is characterized by shivering, fatigue, increased respirations, and more. Moderate hypothermia is more severe and can lead to slurred speech, slowed heart rate, and increased confusion. Severe hypothermia can be accompanied with unconsciousness, a weak pulse, and potential cardiac arrest leading to death.

For those suffering from hypothermia, medical treatment is incredibly important. This care should be gentle, moving the individual out of the cold environment in which they are in. They should be dried as much as possible, and if wet, all clothes should be taken off and warming blankets utilized to bring the core body temperature back up to normal. It is also important to not attempt to overwarm the person, potentially leading to other harmful side effects including skin damage and irregular heartbeats leading to arrest (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2025). Lukewarm water can be used, placing hands and feet in that water to warm slowly. Additionally, monitoring one’s breathing is crucial to ensure proper airflow to the lungs and body, especially with breathing being a notable side effect associated with hypothermia. In a more advanced medical setting, blood rewarming can be conducted, drawing blood to warm and recirculate it within the body. This helps warm the affected individual from the inside out, helping improve the warming process. This can also be done through heating intravenous fluids prior to pumping them into the body. Another method can include airway rewarming, utilizing humidified oxygen given through a mask or nasal tube.

What is Hyperthermia and How is it Treated?

Hyperthermia is a medical condition where the heat of the body is over the normal limit. There are a set of heat-related illnesses that can occur when the body is unable to regulate these changes in temperature. Generally, the body has a way of combatting increased temperature through the process of sweating, however at times these systems are overwhelmed, and the body is unable to properly regulate its temperature allowing a rise to dangerous levels. This can lead to heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and in severe cases heat stroke. Heat rash is characterized by tiny bumps on the skin that develop when sweat is trapped underneath the skin. This can generally be treated with anti-itch creams and keeping your skin as cool and dry as possible. Heat cramps occur throughout the body as the result of extreme exertion and sweating a lot, leaving muscles without enough water (and the loss of electrolytes through sweat) to function properly. Heat exhaustion occurs when too much water is lost with the body reaching an internal temperature up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Symptoms of this heat-related illness can be severe and include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and headache (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition where the body reaches extreme heats, including symptoms like confusion, behavioral changes, and slurred speech.

Both heat rash and heat cramps can typically be treated on their own, however heat exhaustion and heat stroke require immediate medical attention to be sought out. Treatment for a heat rash (as outlined in the previous paragraph) is relatively simple, keeping the skin cool and dry, utilizing anti-itch creams, avoiding moisturizers on the skin that can keep it damp, etc. Heat cramps require the individual to get out of the heat and recover with fluids and electrolytes, resting until fully recovered and avoiding any physically taxing activities. Heat exhaustion requires medical treatment, immediately getting to a cool area, sitting or lying down, removing excess clothing, and slowly sipping water or other electrolyte-rich fluid. Additionally, the individual can cool themselves with cool water being poured on the skin, cool towels being placed on the skin, and other cooling measures either with fanning, water, or ice (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Heat stroke is the most severe where one may lose consciousness and require additional help. If someone faints, bystanders should bring that person to a cool area out of the heat and removing and extra clothes as possible. Cooling towels or water should be used moderately on the skin, without that water being consumed. Too much water or too rapid of cooling can actually harm the individual so while important to cool it is important to be mindful of how fast that is taking place. 911 and emergency services should be called, with more complex medical care received to ensure proper recovery. Knowing how these illnesses impact the body and how they can be safely treated are crucial in preventing more serious medical events from occurring.

Sources:

Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Hyperthermia: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Recovery. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22111-hyperthermia

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2025). Hypothermia - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothermia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352688?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&cjevent=4b2eb25f104a11f18075029a0a82b838&cm_mmc=CJ-_-100357191-_-5250933-_-Evergreen+Link+for+Mayo+Clinic+Diet&utm_source=cj&utm_content=100357191&utm_capaign=3-months

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