Wearing one of the wetsuits from our range of Billabong Revolution wetsuits, when participating in water-sports in cold or even mild weather, could save you from suffering hypothermia.
When the human body starts losing more heat than it can generate, a person can begin to develop the symptoms of hypothermia whether they are a professional surfer or new to the waves. This is why it is especially important to wear a winter wetsuit when in cold waters.
By recognising the symptoms of this condition and how to treat it, surfers and other water-sports enthusiasts can look after themselves and others around them in the water.
The symptoms
There are three types of hypothermia – mild, moderate and severe – and the symptoms vary depending on which type an individual is suffering from.
If someone has mild hypothermia their symptoms may not be obvious, however the sufferer may be shivering, feel tired, have cold or pale skin and be hyperventilating (breathing fast).
Moderate symptoms may include more violent shivering, confusion, an inability to pay attention and a loss of reasoning, difficulty moving, loss of co-ordination, drowsiness, slurred speech, and hypoventilation (shallow breathing).
Severe cases can cause people to become unconscious, take shallow breaths or stop breathing, have an irregular, weak, or non-existent pulse and dilated pupils.
The treatment
In severe cases phoning for an ambulance is always the best course of action since hypothermia can be life-threatening. However, if an individual is suffering from mild or moderate symptoms or is waiting for medical assistance to arrive there is some advice which can be followed to prevent the situation from becoming worse.
Firstly, it is important to move the sufferer to a warm environment, preferably indoors, and remove their wet clothing before drying them and wrapping them in blankets, or similar items. This will help their body preserve any heat it is generating.
Holding the hypothermic person gently can help them warm up through transference of body-heat, and making them drink a non-alcoholic, warm drink or eat a high-energy foodstuff such as chocolate can also help. It is important to only give them food and drink if they are able to swallow normally.
It is extremely important not to give the individual alcohol or get them to sit in a warm bath because doing so could cause the blood vessels in their limbs to dilate too fast, resulting in a drop in blood-pressure which could potentially cause a cardiac arrest.
The prevention
Preventing hypothermia in the first place is much better than treating it once it has set in, so making sure that you have a wetsuit on, such as one of the Billabong Revolution wetsuits available in our online range, is a great idea. You could even buy one for a friend or family member to protect them when they’re in the water too!
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