We may be feeling out of sorts, but are we really ill or is it a passing phase? Two factors will answer that, the body temperature and blood pressure. As a rule, the body must maintain the temperature around 98 degrees F. When it drops below this level, we get a condition called hypothermia, and it may be an early indication of some grave diseases. Therefore, it’s worth our while to know something about what causes hypothermia and what it is conducive to.
Also, you need to know what brought it about so that you can restore the body to normal and thus avoid any harm to your health. Generally hypothermia results from going out too lightly dressed in cold weather, being exposed to cold or wet fog for hours on end, swimming in very cold water or failing to change out of wet clothes. Besides, it can be caused by insufficient nourishment. Those who dress in appropriate clothing and stay out of cold do well to protect their health. Finally, a low body temperature can be down to some diseases like diabetes, anemia, kidney and liver diseases, pneumonia, as well as some heart problems.
Consequently, as you feel shivers coming on, you experience unusual weakness, irregular or slow pulse, faulty coordination, start warming yourself up with woolen clothes and staying out of cold. Now for some more detailed information about the possible causes:
Dressed too lightly in wintertime
When you walk about dressed insufficiently in winter, it is only to be expected that your body temperature will register lower than the average. There are some people who sport transparent clothes to show they are young and daring or sexy. Certainly some people, especially younger ones, have a stronger cold resistance, but they will end up freezing notwithstanding! You know it when the lips grow bluish or blackish, and the parts of body exposed to cold feel numb. It spells the worst case of hypothermia, and you really ought to dress heavier to avoid it.
Exposure to cold for long periods of time
When you are out and about in bitterly cold weather for long hours in a row, it begins to bring down your body temperature. As it drops below 98.6 ° F and then continues to go down, it means the situation is fraught with health problems. Take care to eliminate the danger and get into a warm place or dress in warm clothes.
Anemic state
Some people stay cooler than normal in all kinds of weather because of shortage of blood in their bodies. It is another reason of an abnormally low body temperature and may result in developing internal hypoxia.
Diabetes
Diabetes means that an individual’s level of sugar in the blood is abnormally high. There are two types, one with a high sugar level and the other with a low one. In the first case the person with diabetes has to lay off sweet food; in the second, they have to eat sweet food to maintain the energy level. In both cases a low body temperature is registered.
Low blood pressure
Naturally, a lower-than-normal blood pressure leads to the body temperature that is also lower than the average because the pressure of blood in the veins is coming on slowly. It is known as hypotension. The whole body gets colder. Blood pressure and the temperature are positively related, the lower the one, the lower the other.
