• Wear layers. It is better to wear multiple thin layers rather than fewer thick layers. Layers help indoors, too.
• Minimize your time outside but when you need to be outdoors, say to walk the dog, bundle up with a long winter coat, gloves, a hat and a scarf. Use the scarf to cover your mouth. This helps warm the air you breath before it enters your lungs.
• Keep a shovel and salt in your car, which can help you (or a neighbor) get unstuck quickly and safely in the event of being snowed or iced in.
• Check in on older adults who may be more susceptible to hypothermia. Remember that hypothermia is not limited to exposure outdoors.
• Be aware of hypothermia symptoms and know that they occur gradually and that someone with hypothermia may not realize it until it’s too late. Symptoms include*:
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Shivering
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Clumsiness or lack of coordination
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Slurred speech or mumbling
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Stumbling
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Confusion or difficulty thinking
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Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes
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Drowsiness or very low energy
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Apathy or lack of concern about one’s condition
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Progressive loss of consciousness
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Weak pulse
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Slow, shallow breathing
*According to the MayoClinic
