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Practical Prepping Podcast
Cold Makes You Stupid: How Hypothermia and Frostbite Sneak Up on You
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- [00:01]
A
Cold does not just make you uncomfortable. It makes you careless. And that's the part that gets people hurt. It nudges you into shortcuts. You skip food, you skip water, you skip gloves for just a minute. You keep moving because you want to be done. Add wind, wet clothing, exhaustion, and a little alcohol, and those little shortcuts stack up. Today we're talking about the two cold injuries that love that exact situation. Hypothermia and frostbite. What they look like early, why they sneak up, and how to shut them down before they get serious is what we're talking about.
- [00:53]
B
Welcome to practical prepping. Today is February 2, 2026, and this is episode 540. This is the prepping podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions. Just practical prepping, where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies, disasters, and crises. And we're here to help you get prepared. I'm Krista.
- [01:20]
A
And I'm Mark. And if you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info 540. Cold injuries come in two main categories. Hypothermia. And that's where your core gets too cold. This is a whole body emergency.
- [01:41]
B
Okay.
- [01:41]
A
And frostbite is where a body part starts freezing. And it's usually a local tissue injury, usually fingers, toes, nose, and ears. They often overlap because the same conditions cause both. Wind, wet, exhaustion, dehydration, tight clothes or tight boots. Poor decisions, especially after alcohol.
- [02:08]
B
And we have found out that the dangerous part is they can sneak up on you. A simple line that you can learn. Hypothermia steals your brain, but frostbite steals your fingers and toes.
- [02:21]
A
Pretty good description right there. Let's talk about hypothermia to start with. It happens when your body loses heat faster than it can make it.
- [02:31]
B
And what I learned is that that can actually reduce your good judgment. It literally affects your physical thought process. And a lot of times, people are so unaware of it, they don't realize they need to rescue themselves.
- [02:44]
A
Talk about the early signs. Now, this is mild hypothermia, the first and foremost sign.
- [02:50]
B
Your body's trying to give you some information here, and you start shivering. Have you ever shivered so much you almost couldn't stop yourself from shivering? That is the body going into protection mode.
- [03:02]
A
Been there.
- [03:02]
B
Also clumsiness. You're starting to drop things. Things you're starting to fumble with, things like the zippers of your jacket or buttons. Your speech becomes slowed or slurred. I mean, Almost sounds like you're having a stroke. And the whole I'm fine, but you're acting very off, like you're irritable when you're normally not, or you're overly quiet when you're normally not, or you're weirdly stubborn. And then one of the last mild hypothermia. So signs would be simple fatigue.
- [03:34]
A
There's some danger signs, and this is when it goes from moderate to severe. Christa talked about the mild hypothermia, and here we're talking about moderate to severe hypothermia. These are the stop everything cues.
- [03:49]
B
Yeah. So listen up.
- [03:50]
A
This is time to take action. Confusion, can't answer simple questions. Stumbling, can't use the hands. The shivering stops. Oh, that's a classic oh sign.
- [04:06]
B
Okay, that's good to know.
- [04:08]
A
Getting drowsy and wanting to lie down.
- [04:11]
B
Now, here's the simple rescue sequence on what to do. Get out of that wind and wet. Even if you have to get inside a vehicle, step inside a doorway, maybe even pull a tarp of a windbreak. Anything to try to protect you.
- [04:25]
A
Buddy of mine and I did that one time. We were deer hunting and it was about four degrees.
- [04:31]
B
Oh, dear.
- [04:32]
A
And I was at one point and he was at another. We were, we had stands set up where we were and it was so cold. I finally decided, you know, I know he is an avid hunter. He is one that doesn't quit no matter what it is. And I decided, okay, I'm going back to the truck. I'm shivering, I'm getting numb in my fingers. And I know there's a thermos of coffee and a large container of hot potato soup in the truck.
- [05:07]
B
Okay.
- [05:07]
A
So I get back to the truck and guess who I find sitting in the other side.
- [05:13]
B
He'd already gotten there.
- [05:14]
A
He had already gotten there. So we kind of came up with an idea. It's too cold to be out there. We've got the truck that stopping the wind. That's good. I'm right handed, he's left handed. So he hunted out of the right side of the truck and I hunted out of the left side of the truck. If we see anything in the woods, we've got a shot deer had more sense to be up than we did that day, so. But that was one we're just getting out of the wind helped us to overcome that situation.
- [05:44]
B
Very smart. Something else you want to consider is to get dry and insulated. Now, if you've been out in the snow or ice, your clothing may be wet. So Remove those wet clothes and pile on some dry layers. Put on a hat, put on socks. Just get those wet clothes off of your skin and get dry as quickly as you can. Because you want to warm your core now. You want to focus heat on your chest area, your back, your armpits, even the groin area. And drink warm drinks only if you're fully awake and able to swallow. And sweet and warm is ideal. Maybe like sugared coffee or hot tea, something like that.
- [06:27]
A
But black coffee and hot potato soup did a good job.
- [06:31]
B
Super good. Good to know. Now, let me give you a quick caution. If someone is really cold and confused, don't. Don't rough handle them, don't force exercise. Just gently find them some shelter, get them rewarmed, and get them help. But go easy. You're dealing with someone that may already be a little bit past their right frame of mind and that may be asking for trouble that you don't need at that point.
- [06:57]
A
Yeah, this can get you into an altered mental status.
- [07:01]
B
Exactly.
- [07:02]
A
Now, today's cup of coffee comes from Heather. Heather is a longtime supporter of the podcast, actually all the way back into 20. And, Heather, we really do appreciate your support.
- [07:16]
B
And if you receive value from our podcast show, have you learned something or gotten an idea of something new that you need to do or you just want to support the program, would you help us by giving back a little? You can go to practicalprepping.info support and you'll find ways that you can support our show, including a coffee membership just like heather. It's only $5 a month, but it really helps us offset the expenses of our podcast. So please consider doing that. Go to practical prepping.info/support. Now, let's get back to the show.
- [07:50]
A
Let's talk about frostbite. Frostbite is tissue freezing, and it's as bad as it sounds. Most often it's toes, fingers, nose, ears, and wind chill accelerates it. And believe it or not, tight boots or gloves can make it worse.
- [08:09]
B
Now, here's some of the early signs. They call it frost nip or mild frostbite. That's a tingling or stinging feeling and then a numbness in those digits. And if your skin starts to look pale or waxy and an area feels cold and firm, that means that tissue is in some trouble. And some more serious frostbite signs. If the skin feels very hard, even like wood. And after you get warm, you see blisters, and later on, a blue, gray, or black discoloration. That is a very advanced sign of Frostbite. The rule you need to remember is do not thaw frostbite if there's a chance there might be a refreezing. Refreezing after thawing causes a whole lot more damage than just staying frozen until you can keep it warm.
- [09:04]
A
Here's some things that we can do if we can keep it warm. In other words, keep it from refreezing. We want to remove tight items such as rings, wet socks, gloves, any of those things. We want to rewarm in water that's somewhere 99 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 37 to 40 degrees centigrade. Basically a warm bath water.
- [09:33]
B
But not hot.
- [09:34]
A
Not hot.
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B
Maybe more like a baby bath temperature.
- [09:37]
A
And you want to soak it for 15 to 30 minutes until it becomes soft and the color begins to return.
- [09:45]
B
Now something to be aware of if you're going through this rain rewarming procedure. You can expect some pain and discomfort during that thawing process. Now here's what not to do. And these are common myths that have been passed down from year upon year. But they're not good ideas. And that is don't rub the area with snow.
- [10:06]
A
I don't know how anybody ever got the idea that rubbing frozen stuff on frozen skin would help.
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B
I don't know. Somebody tried it once and thought they it might have been more the rubbing than the snow. But still not a good idea.
- [10:19]
A
And you don't want to use direct heat on the numb skin.
- [10:22]
B
Like a heating pad.
- [10:24]
A
Like a heating pad. Or even putting them up close to the fire. You want to keep them further back. Because one of the things is you'll get burns that you don't feel.
- [10:33]
B
Oh dear. And that can.
- [10:34]
A
Remember these are frozen and you've lost feeling in them.
- [10:39]
B
Yeah.
- [10:40]
A
So you won't feel any burns that you might get from direct heat.
- [10:44]
B
If in the warming process, blisters form, don't pop them. That can create infection.
- [10:50]
A
The easiest thing to do is prevent frostbite and hypothermia. And the easiest prevention advice. And a lot of people skip this and it's kind of boring. But it can be life saving. Stay dry.
- [11:05]
B
Okay.
- [11:06]
A
Wet clothing is a cold injury multiplier. We talk about having force multipliers. This is the force multiplier for frostbite or for hypothermia.
- [11:21]
B
And we also want to just add in here you moms and dads that are home from school with your children who may be experiencing some snow and ice probably for the first time or for an extended time. You've got to watch out for them too because they can't be out all day in 15 degree weather with a wind chill of 4. And you expect them to be okay because a child's little fingers and toes can get cold a lot faster even than an adult.
- [11:46]
A
Our 6 year old, soon to be 7 year old grandson got up to 16 inches of snow this weekend. Big one for him, big one for his mama, big one for his daddy. So they've been playing outside a little bit, but we keep texting them cautions, watch out for his nose, check his fingers, things like that to keep him, don't let him play outside more than about 15, 20 minutes at a time. And then let's get inside, warm up some and then we can go back after.
- [12:18]
B
They're being very smart about it.
- [12:20]
A
They're being very smart about it. But Grammy and papa keep sending those reminders for them. And we've done that all weekend and we've continued doing it today because they're going to be in snow for a couple of days anyway, at least. You want to block the wind. Now this is where even a cheap shell layer can matter more than a.
- [12:43]
B
Fancy sweater, maybe a long sleeve T shirt. That's a nice layer.
- [12:47]
A
Well, that's a layer. But to block the wind. Think one of the cheap, almost plasticized windbreakers.
- [12:55]
B
Oh, sure, yeah.
- [12:56]
A
Something that the wind is not going to go through.
- [12:59]
B
A little bit more solid construction.
- [13:01]
A
Exactly, exactly. And I mean, you can have your nice sweater on below that, you can have your jacket on below that, but put that windbreaker over that to stop that wind from getting to the body.
- [13:15]
B
Also protect the big areas that would leak the most heat. And that's obviously the head and the neck, the hands and the feet. Mittens actually beat gloves for heat and wool socks beat cotton. In fact, wool socks help to wick away the moisture.
- [13:30]
A
Yes.
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B
Cotton will actually soak moisture. So make sure you invest in some wool socks for winter weather.
- [13:36]
A
The mittens thing, what happens there is the fingers are sharing body heat.
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B
Yes.
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A
So that's why the mittens. Mittens are better than the gloves.
- [13:46]
B
I found a neat tip also I saw this weekend, and this is particularly for those of you that are of an adult size. Put on some latex rubber gloves or nitrile gloves and then put your mittens or gloves on. And that extra layer of that type of glove that you would normally use for housework can actually form a very warm layer for your fingers. And if you feel so inclined, put some on your feet as well. If you know, you're going to have to be out for a little while, like you're a lineman, a farmer, somebody that knows they're going to have to be outside for a bit. That bit of latex or nitrile protection is really, really important.
- [14:26]
A
Now what I did when I had to be out directing traffic quite well every day I was directing school traffic when I was deputy for that last three years of that. And it didn't matter what the temperature was or if it was raining or snowing or what if school was open, I had to be there and had to direct traffic. And sometimes it was down in that 8, 9, 10 degree. And I'd tried several different types of gloves and I also found that I could put on a pair of cotton gloves and put those inside a mitten. And I had cut part of the palm of that mitten so that I could slip a hot hands down into that mitten. So there was a bit of warmness there for my fingers. And that helped about as much as anything else that I could find.
- [15:20]
B
Smart.
- [15:21]
A
But one thing you want to do in all this layering up and activity and stuff, you need to avoid sweating.
- [15:28]
B
Why is that?
- [15:29]
A
Well, if you're sweating, you're overdressed and that sweating causes you to lose more body heat in the long run.
- [15:37]
B
Gotcha.
- [15:38]
A
So you may need to open zippers or you may need to even remove a layer. When I was teenager and on up into my 20s, I had this refrigerator wear suit and it was rated at like 50 degrees below zero. And we would look, leave the car where we parked the car truck. There were several of us there. And if I had that thing zipped all the way up and walked to my tree stand where I was going to be sitting, I would just be wet with sweat. So I would zip that thing down to about my belly button and open it up while I was going into the woods to let that thing breathe a little so that I am not sweating.
- [16:22]
B
I see.
- [16:22]
A
Then when I got where I was going, sat down, I zipped it all the way back up and stayed warm. So that's just something that you can do. You can open those zippers and let some of that heat out. Sounds funny when we're talking about frostbite and hypothermia, but letting some of that heat out. But you want to avoid sweating, right?
- [16:44]
B
Because sweating cools the body. It's a natural, natural thing. Something else to think about. You want to make sure that you are hydrating properly and that you are eating meals. Because dehydration and a low calorie intake will reduce your body's ability to produce heat. You know, your body has to have something to burn and calories and hydration is what helps that happen.
- [17:07]
A
And no alcohol as a warming strategy.
- [17:10]
B
Yeah, that's. That's a myth.
- [17:12]
A
It makes you feel warm while losing heat for faster. And I always laugh about the. Since I've learned this several years ago is on the Saint Bernards that went out on the rescues, they always had.
- [17:26]
B
The little tiny barrel of brandy, the.
- [17:28]
A
Barrel of brandy under their neck. And that was so that who they rescued could have some brandy. And yes, they would feel warmer, but they're getting colder.
- [17:38]
B
Exactly.
- [17:38]
A
But anyway, I love to see a Saint Bernard wearing a keg under his neck.
- [17:44]
B
So let's take a look at some of the things that we have learned today. The hypothermia. The definition is your core gets too cold, and that is a whole body emergency. And here are the moderate to severe danger signs of hypothermia. Confusion, stumbling, or inability to use your hands. Your shivering has stopped and you feel drowsy and you just want to lay down.
- [18:08]
A
And for frostbite, a body part starts off freezing, usually Toes, fingers, ears, nose, those kinds of things. Here's the early signs, and that's tingling, stinging, even numbness. We've all been out there and working, and we come in and our fingers are just absolutely numb from the cold. That's frostbite. Our fingers have started to freeze. That skin looks pale or waxy. And if you feel it, the area feels cold and kind of firm. Your fingers don't have that pliability anymore.
- [18:46]
B
Yeah, that's your frost nip. That's your early signs. More serious frostbite is when your skin feels hard, almost wooden. And if you get blisters after beginning to warm the skin or the worst later on, if you have a blue, gray, or black discoloration, this is a very serious sign of frostbite. Sadly, that's the area where a lot of times people start losing their fingers and toes if it's prolonged. And sometimes that has to happen in order to save their life. So we hope you never experience that.
- [19:17]
A
Now, one rule you need to remember is do not thaw frostbite if it might refreeze.
- [19:25]
B
True. Also remember that hypothermia steals your brain. Frostbite steal your fingers and toes. And so it's kind of like what we were saying. Cold makes you stupid. And so you've got to watch yourself or the people that you're with. If you're starting to see these signs in those that you're outside with, whether it's a child or an adult, you've got to know that that's the body's way of alerting you that danger is near. And take steps.
- [19:52]
A
Thank you for taking your time to be with us today. You could have chosen any other podcast to listen to, but you chose ours, and we really appreciate that.
- [20:03]
B
Oh, and by the way, happy Groundhog Day.
- [20:06]
A
Yes, it's Groundhog Day, and I saw a great meme, and it was probably six squirrels. I know it probably had to be A.I.
- [20:16]
B
Oh, sure.
- [20:16]
A
But it was six squirrels right in front of the groundhog and a raccoon behind them. And the squirrels were saying to the groundhog, you'd better get this weather turned around soon, or the raccoon is going to put you in the river. Sleeping with the fishes.
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B
Oh, my goodness. You know, here in Alabama, we have a possum that we're going to see. I think it's. His name is Sam.
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A
Sam. And we're Sand Mountain.
- [20:44]
B
Sand Mountain Sam is supposed to give the word on it. So we hope you have a happy Groundhog Day. And whether or not we have early spring or continued winter, one way or the other, weather's going to do what.
- [20:55]
A
Weather'S going to do, weather's going to do what weather is going to do. And I don't care what the possum or the groundhog says. I think this winter is going on into March, So probably bad news there. Well, you know, but we really do thank you, and thank you again for being here. And as Krista always says, stuff happens. Stay prepared, and we'll see you next time.