#Massey game of thrones skin#

Delaying will only exacerbate any continued cooling as the water starts to evaporate from your skin вЂ“ a very effective way of losing heat. However, itвЂ™s really important that you dry and dress quickly. ItвЂ™s completely natural, that post-swim high. They want to take it all in, to stand and stare at what theyвЂ™ve just swum in. A feeling of euphoria is common among open water swimmers when they get out. YouвЂ™re safe now, right?ДЄctually, when you get out of the water your body continues to cool. So, youвЂ™ve got through the cold shock, enjoyed your swim and exited the water before your muscles stop doing as theyвЂ™re told. ItвЂ™s important that you get them out of wet clothes and into a warm, dry environment as quickly as possible. ItвЂ™s not a pretty sight, seeing someone who is hypothermic. IвЂ™ve supported a number of people in the lab and after ice swims. Look for the вЂњumblesвЂќ вЂ“ fumbling, grumbling, stumbling and mumbling. Loss of awareness and changes in vision are signs that someone is becoming hypothermic. It takes 20 to 30 minutes to cool the deep body to an extent that you reach clinical hypothermia. How do you spot someone whoвЂ™s in trouble? Hypothermia happens when the body temperature drops to below 35C. ThatвЂ™s when I knew it was time to get out. The muscles in my arms and forearms were so cold they were no longer contracting as I wanted them to. My hands became very stiff and I couldnвЂ™t form a paddle to swim with. IвЂ™ve experienced claw hand вЂ“ a lack of coordination in the hands. YouвЂ™ll become uncoordinated, your stroke length will shorten, youвЂ™ll become less efficient in the water, your sinking forces will increase. A feeling of euphoria is commonВ among open water swimmers when they get out, butВ itвЂ™sВ really important toВ dry andВ dress quickly This means youвЂ™ll tire much more easily than you would in a pool. When the muscles cool to about 27C, they start to fatigue. ThereвЂ™s about 3% reduction in muscle strength for every degree that the muscle cools. Once youвЂ™ve recovered from the initial shock, whatвЂ™s next?ДЄfter youвЂ™ve cooled the skin, you start to cool the superficial nerves and muscles.

#Massey game of thrones how to#

Now youвЂ™ve got control of your breathing you can start swimming or, if youвЂ™ve fallen in by accident, thinking about how to get out. After one to three minutes you should be able to talk in normal sentences. You do see lots of open water swimmers diving in, but theyвЂ™ve probably spent many years getting used to the cold, so their cold shock response is much less severe than someone who has never done it before. Initial immersion in cold water should be done in a gradual way so the airway is kept above the water. Sudden death on entry to the water doesnвЂ™t sound all that appealing. And when the blood pressure goes up suddenly, the cold shock response can cause issues such as a bleed on the brain. The cold shock makes our hearts work a lot harder too, which can cause heart problems. That initial gasp can be a couple of litres of air вЂ“ more than enough for a lethal dose of water. If your airway is under the water вЂ“ say youвЂ™ve jumped or fallen in вЂ“ you risk drowning.

The skin cools down very rapidly and we experience the cold shock response, that gasp followed by uncontrolled breathing. What happens to our bodies when we get into cold water? Yet even on a warm day the water can still be cold enough to take your breath away. There is a huge amount of experiential anecdotal evidence that shows people find outdoor swimming transformative. Now that temperatures are rising, those rivers and lakes are looking extremely tempting. MasseyвЂ™s research examines whether cold water swimming is more likely to kill or cure.

Having swum the Channel and competed in the world ice swimming championships, her research into the effects of extreme temperatures on the body is personal.Дuring lockdown the number of people enjoying wild swimming soared, but so did the number of deaths. Dr Heather Massey is a researcher at the University of PortsmouthвЂ™s Extreme Environments research group and a seasoned open water swimmer.