What causes abnormally low body temperatures?

Abnormally low body temperatures, or hypothermia, are primarily caused by continued exposure to low or rapidly falling temperatures. When a person is exposed to cold environments for extended periods, their body loses heat faster than it can produce it, leading to a drop in core body temperature. This can occur in cold weather, during immersion in cold water, or in conditions where wind chill rapidly decreases body temperature.

Other factors may contribute to the risk of hypothermia, but the central mechanism at play in this scenario is the body’s inability to maintain its normal temperature due to environmental conditions. It’s crucial to recognize that while severe dehydration, excessive exercise, and heat exposure can have their own health effects, they do not directly cause low body temperatures in the same way that exposure to cold does.