Why is hypothermia related to a decreased metabolic rate?

Answer 1

Hypothermia is defined as abnormally low body temperature. This condition requires treatment once the core body temperature reaches 95 degrees. Hypothermia causes a decrease in the rate of body functions. Normally, the body reacts in a protective manner by shivering whenever it starts to lose heat. At this point, if a person is only mildly hypothermic, removing them from the cold will remedy the situation. Continued exposure to the cold, and further loss of body heat, will result in the body beginning to shut down. The exposure causes the person to lose mental function ability, causing them to think unclearly and become confused and disoriented. There will be pronounced changes in the speech patterns of the exposed victim - such as slurring speech, and the person will experience profound difficulty in making decisions. Further exposure will result in the body losing it's basic protection abilities. A very clear sign that the person's body temperature is getting too low, is displayed whenever the person stops shivering. Shivering is one of the body's main defenses against heat loss, shivering contracts the muscles repeatedly producing heat in an attempt to raise the core body temp. It is after the body stops shivering, that the rest of the body's functions start to slow down and stop. It becomes more important for the body to regain the lost heat, that it stops performing uneccesary actions, such as the digestion of of food. Thus, the body, when in a profound hypothermic state, the metabolic rate of the affected individual will lower. Eventually, after a period of profoundly reduced mental capacity, the victim would go deeper into the state of shock, (greatly resembling drunkeness) into a state of lethargy, seeming very lazy, and lacking the motivation to continue. Finally the victim will lose consciousness, slipping into a catatonic state, and without immediate treatment, the victim will eventually lose their life. All in all - the metabolism is lowered with the rest of bodily functions as the body's core temperature drops.