Death by hypothermia?

[unsureabootleif]

Is this a relatively painless CTB? Would it take long to lose consciousness? Is it true that those who do die from hypothermia experience a feeling of "warmth" after the initial coldness?

 

[iloveloving]

It would be slow and painful.

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

The subject of hypothermia needs to differentiated from the concept of "freezing to death". Hypothermia does not require sub freezing temperatures, just low enough to drop ones core temperature. Physical pain happens in sub-freezing temperatures when frostbite sets in faster then core temperature drop.

Table 2

Classical staging of accidental hypothermia based on clinical signs [34]. Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2021 European Resuscitation Council.

Stage​	Clinical Findings​	Estimated Core Temperature ( °C)​
Hypothermia I (mild)​	Conscious, shivering *​	35–32 °C​
Hypothermia II (moderate)​	Impaired consciousness *; may or may not be shivering​	<32–28 °C​
Hypothermia III (severe)​	Unconscious *; vital signs present​	<28 °C​
Hypothermia IV (severe)​	Apparent death; vital signs absent​	Classically < 24 °C **​

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* Shivering or consciousness may be impaired by comorbid conditions such as trauma, central nervous system conditions, toxins or drugs, such as sedative-hypnotic drugs or opioids, independent of core temperature. ** Cardiac arrest can occur at earlier or later stages of hypothermia. Some patients may have vital signs with core temperatures < 24 °C.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8744717/

 

[FadingSentinel]

I would very much not recommend this, before the final feeling of "warmth" you'll have to go though intense cold to the point of severe pain. And depending on your method it could take very long as well. It would not be painless at all and I doubt many people could go through it willingly. Even the people who die by falling into an icy river don't die from hypothermia, the sudden cold makes them go into shock making them unable to swim properly and then drown.

The way you phrase it makes it seem like you think the cold feeling will only last for a few minutes before feeling warm and CTB shortly afterwards. This will not be the case at all. Depending on your method it could take hours before you lose consciousness. Don't forget many people take ice baths on a regular basis and come out just fine even after 15 minutes. You would probably only reach a point of mild hypothermia after 30 minutes and only after the one hour mark would it start to become dangerous. and by that point you'll probably already be in a ton of pain and shivering uncontrolably.

 

[unsureabootleif]

I would very much not recommend this, before the final feeling of "warmth" you'll have to go though intense cold to the point of severe pain. And depending on your method it could take very long as well. It would not be painless at all and I doubt many people could go through it willingly. Even the people who die by falling into an icy river don't die from hypothermia, the sudden cold makes them go into shock making them unable to swim properly and then drown.

The way you phrase it makes it seem like you think the cold feeling will only last for a few minutes before feeling warm and CTB shortly afterwards. This will not be the case at all. Depending on your method it could take hours before you lose consciousness. Don't forget many people take ice baths on a regular basis and come out just fine even after 15 minutes. You would probably only reach a point of mild hypothermia after 30 minutes and only after the one hour mark would it start to become dangerous. and by that point you'll probably already be in a ton of pain and shivering uncontrolably.

thanks for the info, I will not be trying that.

 

[jalapeno]

I've spent a lot of time outside in the cold over the years but I'm no authority on this. My experience has been varied. Most of the time it has been painful except for one time when it was -30C out and my sleeping bag was rated to -15C. I was dry and wearing all of my clothes but still losing heat from the ground and through the sleeping bag. It felt like I was losing temperature gradually and evenly. My body was trying to keep the core warm so after a while my legs and arms were cold. I started to lose warmth in my groin area and it felt like I was losing the battle to stay warm.

Some of the other times I've experienced potential cold danger was getting quite drunk and walking home through a mountain. The slow looked very very comfortable and cosy and I felt like I could have fallen asleep in seconds, if the cold crept up on me I'm not sure I would have woken up.

Back to the sleeping bag story... I think without a tent and less food and multiple days I would have slipped into death, but it would be a cold and miserable few days. Eventually I know I'd just not make it through the night but I honestly think I would have just drifted off and died cold but peacefully in my sleep. I still think it's a viable approach but maybe more for people with cold experience. The pain from frostbite on face/hands/feet is really bad.