why people take off their clothes when freezing to death

[Modulistic]

Paradoxical Undressing

Irrational removal of clothing threatens hypothermia victim survival

Email this Survival Topic to a Friend
Victims of even slight hypothermia often exhibit altered states of judgment, which is known in mountaineering circles as being "cold stupid". One common but especially bizarre behavior of hypothermia victims is a conundrum known as "paradoxical undressing".
As you may know, the general causes of hypothermia are a decrease in body heat production, an increase in the loss of body heat, and the inability of the body to regulate its core temperature. (For more information read the Survival Topic How Body Heat is Lost).

Paradoxical undressers remove their warm clothing even as they are freezing to death

Hypothermia can happen anytime the ambient temperature is below that of the body. If your clothing becomes wet the cooling effect of evaporation can greatly increase the chance of becoming hypothermic.
Paradoxical undressing is when the person removes warm clothing while in a state of hypothermia, which further increases heat loss. Because they are suffering from the cold and their body temperature is below the safe threshold, it seems incongruous that they would be removing warm clothing and causing themselves to become even colder.
To be sure, the phenomenon of paradoxical undressing is an enigma counter to expected behavior. With their core temperature below 90 degrees F, hypothermia sufferers frequently undress themselves. Urban victims of hypothermia that are found in a state of undress are often thought to be victims of assault.
The recent James Kim tragedy is one of the more well known recent cases of paradoxical undressing. Kim was found laying in the snow, having succumbed to hypothermia while attempting to walk out from his snowbound car. He had taken off several items of clothing, including his pants.
Why does paradoxical undressing occur in hypothermia victims? Why are they often found in various states of undress when they should logically be wearing as much clothing as possible?
Physiology of Paradoxical Undressing

To understand the mystery of why hypothermia victims exhibit paradoxical undressing, we need to know something of how the body attempts to protect itself when stressed by the cold.
As your body becomes colder, it shunts blood away from your extremities and into your warm core in order to protect vital organs. This is why your feet and hands will often become cold first.
Shunting blood to your core and away from your extremities is accomplished through vasoconstriction of your peripheral circulation. This allows the outer portions of your body to become better at insulating your core, since it is losing less heat to the outside world.
And now the key to what causes paradoxical undressing. Vasoconstriction occurs when the smooth muscles within the vasculature contract. This effort requires a steady input of energy in the form of glucose from the body's energy stores. However, due to a lack of blood now traveling to these muscles, they eventually tire. As the muscles of the constricted blood vessels run out of energy, they fatigue, relax, and open up. This is known as vasodilation.
With vasodilation of the blood vessels, an infusion of warm blood from the core of the body rushes into the peripheral extremities. This causes the hypothermia victim to feel overly warm and to start shedding layers of clothing, contrary to the reality that their body temperature is continuing to drop.
The victim's warm blood rushing from their core, coupled with the removal of warm clothing, causes their body temperature to fall even faster. This serves to hasten death from hypothermia and results in another case of paradoxical undressing.
Mountaineers with hypothermia have been known to push aside warm clothing and resist rescuers' efforts to warm them. It is interesting to note that there are no known hypothermia victims who have reached the stage of paradoxical undressing and survived without outside intervention.
Always Bring a Survival Kit

Now that we know what causes paradoxical undressing, we need to know how to keep from arriving at that stage of hypothermia to begin with.
First and foremost, be sure to always have your survival kit on hand when you venture into the wilderness. Your survival kit should have the basics: extra food, water, warm clothing, means of making fire, and means of making a shelter. You should have the means to signal would be rescuers, navigational aids like maps, a compass, and even a GPS receiver.
The contents of a survival kit are some of your best insurance against hypothermia. For more info about your survival kit and equipment you should always have with you when in the wilderness. read the Survival Topics article about the 15 essentials.

...

[Spaz]

[B]


...

it all depends on the situation... if you are in sub zero temps and wear to much, that would be just as bad as not wearing enough...

[Dax]

it all depends on the situation... if you are in sub zero temps and wear to much, that would be just as bad as not wearing enough...

It's an interesting question, Spaz. I've often pondered this whilst climbing the sides of Mt. Olympus.

[Spaz]

It's an interesting question, Spaz. I've often pondered this whilst climbing the sides of Mt. Olympus.

aye... as as well as i... but the climate has changed sine the last time i have challenged them moutains of ancient greece...

[Modulistic]

you guys are the wierdest kids ive ever met.

[Spaz]

you guys are the wierdest kids ive ever met.

one time... at band camp..

[Dax]

The real secret to conquering K2 is wearing enough layers of clothes... only then will the mystical power of Paradoxical Undressing allow the climber to literally float to the very peak of this mountain.

[whoa guy]

The real secret to conquering K2 is wearing enough layers of clothes... only then will the mystical power of Paradoxical Undressing allow the climber to literally float to the very peak of this mountain.

ah!! interesting indeed!

[Dax]

Ever hear of the Von Trappe family, from The Sound of Music?

Well, when they crossed the Alps, all of them were wearing at least sixteen layers of heavy woolen clothes. Little Leesal's Paradoxical Undressing mojo was so strong, that Heinrich had to tie a line to her to keep her from floating into the stratosphere.

I read it on IMDB, so it must be true.

[whoa guy]

Ever hear of the Von Trappe family, from The Sound of Music?

Well, when they crossed the Alps, all of them were wearing at least sixteen layers of heavy woolen clothes. Little Leesal's Paradoxical Undressing mojo was so strong, that Heinrich had to tie a line to her to keep her from floating into the stratosphere.

I read it on IMDB, so it must be true.

no reference needed... i totally believe you 1000%

[eddierox]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/76307/naked_ice_dancer/

[Kmcrlyn]

one time... at band camp..

Dear Spaz,
I was thinking about your mother's situation and I think that its not too late for her to consider an extremely late term abortion for you.