Why cold-water drowning victims might survive prolonged periods under water?

Answer 1

The body shuts down partiallyIN ADDITION:Cold water slows down the oxygen depletion of the brain. Brain damage at normal temperatures starts to occur at 3 to 4 minutes. But the real reason people can survive much longer in cold water drownings - up to an hour, and perhaps longer - is this:

Hypoxic Ischemic encephalopathy, or damage to the brain by not having enough oxygen, starts to occur in about 3 to 4 minutes. This brain damage is not reversible and occurs in drowning victims, and also victims of cardiac arrest, suffocation, drug overdose and so forth...

In cold water drowning, a unique event occurs: the cold water (58 degree water or colder) triggers the mammalian diving reflex, a naturally occurring reflex in all mammals - including man - which prepares the body to shut down in an orderly fashion. It's this specific reflex that delays brain damage in cold water drowning victims.

Please see additional information in the discussion section of how to trigger this reflex and delay brain damage in heart attack victims.

Answer 2

Your body goes into reflex mode, the blood is drawn into the body core and the body itself goes into a sort of shock, all of your main organs slow down. Also the oxygen in your blood keeps the vital organs warm

Answer 3

The sudden reduction of body temperature can reduce essential body functions, such as respiration pace. This is called hypothermia, (not to be confused with hyperthermia).

In hypothermia, body temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and bodily functions. In humans, this is usually due to excessive exposure to cold air or water, but it can be deliberately induced as a medical treatment. Symptoms usually appear when the body's core temperature drops by 1-2 °C (1.8-3.6 °F) below normal temperature.

It is a proven science that the body when subjected to this cold, slows down all activities as an act of preservation.

Most recently, a diver who lost contact with an underwater air supply in cold water, who relied upon an emergency oxygen source which was designed to last twenty minutes, extended this time to forty minutes before being rescued. Medical scientists are suggesting this may have been a direct result of the intense cold the individual experienced.

Answer 4

Perhaps in warm water, they would sink more quickly, due to density.