[DEC] IMD Guideline"Don't drink alcohol in cold wave"

Question 1

What is a coldwave?

Answer 1

A cold wave occurs when the minimum temperature dips to 10 degrees Celsius or less and the departure from normal temperature is 4.5 degrees Celsius or lower.

Question 2

Why is alcohol bad in cold weather?

Answer 2

Alcohol can decrease the core temperature of the body and increase the risk of hypothermia during cold exposure. A retrospective study in 2004 showed that alcohol consumption is associated with 68 per cent of accidental hypothermia cases.

Question 3

How it works?

Answer 3

Alcohol is a vasodilator, which means that it causes blood vessels to relax and dilate or open.

So after consuming alcohol, the volume of blood brought to the skin’s surface increases, making you feel warmer as a result.

This is also what causes an intoxicated person to look flushed.

As the body begins to believe that it is warm, you also start to sweat — a reaction that automatically reduces overall body temperature.

Drinking copious amounts of alcohol may affect your bodies ability to detect the cold properly, which is in place to protect you from frostbite and hypothermia.

Question 4

What is hypothermia?

Answer 4

Hypothermia is a severe medical condition where the body loses heat before it can generate it, resulting in a dangerously low body temperature.

While normal body temperature lies at around 37 degrees Celsius, the body temperature of a person suffering from hypothermia drops to below 35 degrees Celsius.

Common signs include shivering, slow rate of breathing, slurred speech, cold skin and fatigue.