There are simple measures you can take to prevent you, your child or elderly relatives getting hypothermia.
Staying warm inside
Keep an eye on any elderly or ill neighbours and relatives to ensure that they are keeping their house warm during cold weather. The government offers a winter fuel allowance for older people living alone who are at risk of getting hypothermia. Keeping windows and internal doors closed will also help to trap heat.
If you have a baby, put a room thermometer in the room where they sleep in order to monitor the temperature. Keep it at 16-20°C (60.8-68°F).
You can read more about staying warm during the winter on the Directgov website.
If you're ill, visit your local pharmacy or GP to ensure that you're treated promptly and effectively. If you're taking regular medication, ask whether it affects your body's ability to regulate temperature.
Staying warm outside
Wear appropriate warm clothing in cold weather and make sure that your children are also well wrapped up when outdoors. A significant amount of body heat can be lost through the head, even if the rest of the body is covered up, so you and your children should wear a warm hat. Layers of clothing trap air, which helps to keep you warm. Waterproof and windproof clothing gives the best protection outdoors in the sort of weather conditions found in the British Isles (a temperate climate – cold, damp and wet).
A healthy diet with plenty of fluid, warm drinks and regular meals can help give you energy so that your body can generate heat. Avoiding alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can help as they all increase the rate at which the body loses heat.
Keep active when it's cold, but not to the point where you are sweating. If you exercise outdoors during the winter and you sweat after exercising, make sure that you dry off and put on warm clothes immediately afterwards. Wet clothes lose around 90% of their insulating power.
