Why Sleeping in Snow is Dangerous: Tips to Survive

[En_lizard]

Why we're more likely fall asleep when it's snowing(and you're outside getting stuck somewhere for heavy snow)? and why we should prevent ourselves from sleeping or else we'll die?

 

[berkeman]

What do you mean exactly? Your question is kind of broad as stated.

Are you asking mostly about hypothermia? Or more about relaxing snow scenes and sleep?

 

[En_lizard]

about hypothermia!

 

[berkeman]

Why we're more likely fall asleep when it's snowing(and you're outside getting stuck somewhere for heavy snow)? and why we should prevent ourselves from sleeping or else we'll die?

I did a google search on hypothermia snow sleep, and got lots of interesting hits. I didn't read enough to find out why you get sleepy when cold (I'm sure it's in the hits), but I did find out why you shouldn't let yourself go to sleep. When you sleep, your body's metabolism slows down, and you don't produce as much body heat as when awake. Interesting...

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ageng/safety/ae1237b.htm

 

[DocToxyn]

Hypothermia is a reduction in body core temperature that leads to loss of coordination, confusion, lowered metabolism and eventual death if not reversed. You don't necessarily feel sleepy and tired in the traditional sense, although you may because of other factors, exertion, etc. The process is really a gradual shut-down of your system and eventually this will lead to lack of blood/oxygen to vital areas and you will become unconscious and eventually die. The dulling of your mental facilities may lead to you to think you are tired and need sleep, but if you are not able to do this under conditions where you are no longer losing body heat, you may not survive. It doesn't even have to snowing for hypothermia to occur. Quite often it occurs in cool weather where people go out less prepared than they should be and they get wet/lost and die from exposure when it's only 50 F.

 

[En_lizard]

thanks a lot !