Heat illness such as prickly heat, fainting from heat exhaustion or heat cramps are visible signs that people are not coping. In the most severe cases, the body's temperature control system breaks down altogether and body temperature rises rapidly. This is heat stroke, which can be fatal.

We need to maintain a constant body temperature to stay healthy. Exercising, working or simply living in high temperatures will induce heat stress when more heat is absorbed into the body than can be dissipated out.

Warning Signs of Heat Exhaustion are

• clammy skin
• confusion
• light-headedness
• fainting
• slurred speech
• nausea
• rapid pulse
• vomiting
• weakness
• short temper
• fatigue
• loss of concentration

Symptoms that indicate Heat Stroke include

• staggering walk
• mental confusion 
• hot skin
• temperature rise (yet person may feel chilled)
• convulsions
• unconsciousness
• incoherence
• deliriousness

If you start to observe any of these symptoms please call 000 immediately.

How to Prevent Heat-Related Illnesses

You can prevent heat-related illnesses. The important thing is to stay well-hydrated, to make sure that your body can get rid of extra heat, and to be sensible about exertion in hot, humid weather. The usual preventative rules apply:

• find a cool location
• drink water
• wear hats, loose long sleeve clothing and sunscreen if outdoors

Your sweat is your body's main system for getting rid of extra heat. When you sweat, and the water evaporates from your skin, the heat that evaporates the sweat comes mainly from your skin. As long as blood is flowing properly to your skin, extra heat from the core of your body is "pumped" to the skin and removed by sweat evaporation.

If you do not sweat enough, you cannot get rid of extra heat well, and you also can't get rid of heat as well if blood is not flowing to the skin.

Dehydration will make it harder for you to cool of in two ways: if you are dehydrated you won't sweat as much, and your body will try to keep blood away from the skin to keep your blood pressure at the right level in the core of your body. But, since you lose water when you sweat, you must make up that water to keep from becoming dehydrated. If the air is humid, it's harder for your sweat to evaporate -- this means that your body cannot get rid of extra heat as well when it's muggy as it can when it's relatively dry. 

The best fluid to drink when you are sweating is water. Although there is a little salt in your sweat, you don't really lose that much salt with your sweat, except in special circumstances; taking salt tablets may raise your body's sodium level to hazardous levels. (Your doctor can tell you whether or not you need extra salt.) "Sport drinks" such as Gatorade® will also work, but water is usually easier to obtain.

It's also important to be sensible about how much you exert yourself in hot weather. The hotter and more humid it is, the harder it will be for you to get rid of excess heat.

The clothing you wear makes a difference, too: the less clothing you have on, and the lighter that clothing is, the easier you can cool off.

If you have access to air conditioning, use it. If you have access to a cooling breeze use it. Please avoid locking yourself indoors with windows closed. It becomes an oven. This is even more important when it comes to cars.

Stay cool this summer!




Sunday, November 01, 2009

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