(WXMI) — Cold weather isn’t just dangerous for people driving on the roads; it’s hazardous to everyone’s health too.
FOX 17 spoke to Christa Wagner, who is a registered nursed at University of Michigan Health-West. She says the clinic is seeing a lot of people who are sick or injured for reasons related to cold exposure — some because of car crashes.
Other people were injured from snow shoveling.
Wagner says one of their main concerns is keeping patients safe from frostbite and hypothermia.
“I think it's important to think about what your attire is, so you need to be thinking about boots that are waterproof and that have good grip on them so that you don't end up slipping and falling,” says Wagner. “You need to be wearing … a coat, maybe some warm leggings underneath regular pants or even snow pants, wearing a hat; something that covers the face, whether it be a scarf or those types of things, and then ear protection at all times, just so that you're not exposing those extremities to the extreme cold.”
Dehydration is another factor to keep top of mind. When we put layers on, we might sweat more than we realize — though we won’t feel as thirsty as we would on hot days.
Wagner explains if you are out of breath, dizzy or have tingling in numbness in your hands or feet, you should get inside and warm up slowly.
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