Overview
- The Deutsche Lebens‑Rettungs‑Gesellschaft advises people to avoid jumping into cold water when overheated and to enter the water slowly to let the body adjust.
- Cold‑shock is an immediate reflex: sudden skin cooling causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to spike, which can lead to breathing trouble, heart palpitations or loss of consciousness.
- Older adults and people with pre‑existing heart or circulatory conditions face higher risk of severe reactions and should use extra caution before entering open water.
- Practical steps to reduce risk include pre‑cooling under a shower or wetting arms and upper body, limiting time in the water, rewarming promptly after exiting, staying hydrated and avoiding alcohol.
- Many lakes have warm surface layers over much colder water or currents, so the DLRG also urges watersport users to wear life jackets because a fall from a board or small boat can produce the same dangerous cold‑shock.