Surviving The Cold

This article was published in The Mindful Word journal of engaged living (http://www.themindfulword.org)

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were stranded outside, wearing only a t-shirt, sweatpants and slippers, at a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius? One young man, Valery Malkov found that out the hard way when he accidentally stepped off a train in Siberia and ended up alone in a vast stretch of cold terrain wearing only that attire. Luckily for him his body produced enough adrenaline to fuel his dash back to the train station. The 2013 documentary film Surviving the Cold, produced by Russia Today (a Russian television network), uses his story as a jumping-off point to examine how long humans can really survive in freezing weather, and how they can best do so.

You probably know that humans have some tolerance for freezing temperatures, since many people participate in polar bear swims each winter. However, these usually consist of no more than a quick jump into the cold water, and a quick exit from it. According to Surviving the Cold, humans can withstand extreme temperatures for two and a half hours and can tolerate immersion in freezing water for a half hour. This documentary explores the  techniques that help humans sustain freezing temperatures, including one which draws on some of the same breathing principles as meditation, and also points out the interesting fact that cold exposure is used to treat certain physical ailments.

In northern climates, people spend tons of money heating buildings and vehicles and buying expensive clothing to keep themselves warm. The film makes you wonder if that is necessary, or just something people are used to doing. This question arises specifically because Porfiry Ivanov, a Russian mystic featured, believed the latter. Until his death in 1983, he spent all year wearing only shorts and thought that humans have distanced themselves from their natural ability to tolerate the cold by becoming civilized.

Surviving the Cold does offer scientific proof of the human body’s ability to adapt to freezing temperatures for the short periods of time mentioned above, pointing out the amount of heat, endorphins and adrenaline the body begins to produce when very cold. While it doesn’t seem necessary for everyone to toss out their heaters and winter jackets, it’s empowering to know that the human body will adapt to freezing conditions if necessary.

Watch Surviving The Cold here: 

image: Andrey Papko (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND)

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