Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/11/22/paradoxical-undressing-gettin.html
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In another life when I was a Boy Scout I was told hypothermia victims would undress because their extreme shivering made them think their clothes were restricting their movement.
It sounded plausible but never seemed to be based on any evidence and anecdotal reports always made it sound as though one of the symptoms of hypothermia was lack of awareness of the surroundings.
It’s unfortunate that in so many cases we can’t ask the victims what they experienced.
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My nan did this when she fell between the house and the garage and it was anywhere between 24 and 72 hours before she was found. The night before she was found was 9 degrees celsius - pretty cold - yet she was nearly naked, clothes flung everywhere. She’d even taken off her personal alarm (worn as a necklace) and thrown it out of reach. 
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What was she doing on the roof?
So… did she make it? I hope so.
I wonder if people do it to get it over with sooner? Though other theories make more sense. Our brains are weird.
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There’s a simple, three-word explanation: sexy ice elves.
No, she wasn’t on the roof! Badly described on my part. The garage is about 10 metres from the house, separated by a concrete… tarmac? Flat piece of concrete, which is what nan was on. Although she was convinced she was in bed.
She was in hospital for about a week and then in-and-out of hospitals until about five months later, when she went into a nursing home. Died about a month later. It was the beginning of the end.
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OH, oh, ok, that makes a lot more sense. I was envisioning like a 3 foot gap between two structures and she fell and hurt her self. I see now, just walking and fell. Sorry about your Nan. 
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S’ok. But thanks. Was a while ago now and she’d been deteroriating for quite a long time before the fall. Dementia, although according to her, “there’s nothing wrong with my brain, jyoti”. Nan, that would’ve been a lot more convincing if you hadn’t said the same thing 15 minutes ago. And 15 minutes before that…
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A guy committed suicide (so determined by officialdom) by crawling into a rock crevasse in the mountains and freezing to death. Don’t know if he undressed but I wondered if that’s a painless way to go. Maybe if you get really stoned first…
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