Fitness & Exercise

Come on in, the Water's ... Freezing!!

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Give them lots of lukewarm liquids, says Todd Schlifstein, MD.

"Hydration is very important to help get rid of muscle metabolites that are formed when you shiver a lot," says Schlifstein, a clinical instructor at New York University Medical Center.

However, if someone is so cold they can't stand or move their limbs normally, if they don't know who they are or where they are, those are signs of more severe loss of function.

"In that case, it makes sense to go to an emergency room, where trained people know how to deal with this situation," Musler says.

When a person is short of breath and close to passing out, or feels their heart beating irregularly, they too should go to the emergency room, Schlifstein adds.

"Or when you try normal rewarming measures and the person continues to shiver and doesn't improve, take them to the emergency room," he says. "In some cases of hypothermia the body cannot rewarm itself."