How does extreme cold weather affect speech and coherence?

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SUMMARY

Extreme cold weather significantly impacts speech coherence, as evidenced by personal experiences shared during paintballing in muddy and snowy conditions. Participants reported difficulties in pronunciation and word retrieval, with examples such as "Let gos!" instead of "Let's go!" This phenomenon is attributed to mild hypothermia, which can cause slurred speech similar to intoxication. Additionally, the use of inadequate facial protection may exacerbate these speech issues by numbing the lips.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of mild hypothermia and its physiological effects
  • Knowledge of speech production mechanisms
  • Familiarity with the impact of environmental factors on physical performance
  • Awareness of protective gear used in extreme weather conditions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the physiological effects of mild hypothermia on cognitive functions
  • Explore studies on speech production under stress or adverse conditions
  • Investigate the effectiveness of different types of facial protection in cold weather
  • Learn about the relationship between environmental factors and athletic performance
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for athletes, speech therapists, psychologists studying cognitive effects of environmental stressors, and anyone interested in the interplay between extreme weather and physical performance.

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Hi. I recently went paintballing in muddy and snowy conditions (at the same time).

I found a really curious thing happened to me. My words would get stuck in my mouth more often, I'd make pronuciation errors and I'd generally mess up words.

For example, when I wanted to say:
"Let's go!" I'd end up saying "Let gos!"

Or if I wanted to say:
"I think I shot that guy", I'd say "I guy shot"

The words would just come out that way. What was going on? Mild hypothermia?
 
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Thats is what I would say. Mild hypothermia will cause you to slurr words together...similar to being drunk.

Were you wearing a full mask? I know some people don't wear masks with full face coerage. If not then it might be that the cold got to your lips and just numbed them so much that your words came out wrong.
 

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