If your body temperature gets too high, you may suffer from heatstroke. Heatstroke is a serious, life-threatening situation. If your job or sporting activity requires you to spend time outside on hot, humid days, you may be at risk. It is important to understand what heatstroke is and know the warning signs. When treated quickly, you can recover without any complications. Making some changes to your normal routine during extreme hot and humid weather will help prevent serious illness.
Identification
Heat-related deaths are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your body has certain processes to help regulate your temperature. When you get too cold, your body may shiver to warm you up. When you get too hot, you sweat to cool yourself down. However, if you are exposed to extremely high temperatures, your body may not be able to sweat enough to sufficiently cool you. If you are in a humid atmosphere, the sweat you produce may not evaporate quickly enough, which will slow down the cooling process. Children and those over 65 years old are especially susceptible to heatstroke.
Symptoms
If body temperature rises to over 102 degrees F, start trying to cool yourself down. In extreme cases, body temperature can rise to 106 degrees or higher. Before heatstroke occurs, you may experience heat cramps and heat exhaustion, and become nauseous and have pale skin. Sweating heavily, extreme thirst, and feeling weak and tired are other signs. If your condition progresses to heatstroke, your symptoms will continue to get worse and change. Signs to look for include the skin turning red and becoming very dry. At this point, you will stop sweating. You may also notice a racing pulse, shallow breathing, dizziness, confusion, headache and generally not feeling well. If left untreated, you can become unconscious and go into shock.
Warning
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, once your body temperature rises to 104 degrees F, damage starts to occur. The longer heatstroke goes untreated, the worse the damage is, and it can be fatal. There can be injury to the brain that leads to seizures and coma in severe cases. Your heart muscle may be stressed, causing a cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke. There can be damage to all your organs, including the liver, which can go into failure if the body is not cooled quickly enough.
Treatment
If you notice the signs and symptoms of a heat-related illness, the best option is to move into an air-conditioned space. If that is not possible, get into a shady area. Soaking in a cool bath or covering the body with cool, damp cloths will help. If you are able to, drink cool water or a sports drink with electrolytes. However, these drinks may also be high in sugar and salt, so use them with caution. The Mayo Clinic states that you want to avoid alcoholic beverages and those with caffeine, as they will dehydrate the body even further. If the victim shows signs of extreme dizziness, confusion, cessation of sweating or becomes unconscious, call for medical help right away.
Prevention/Solution
The first line of defense is to drink plenty of water. Once you start to feel thirsty, you are already becoming dehydrated. Pay attention to the weather and heed warnings for days when there is a heat alert. This is especially critical for children, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Do not leave children, an older person or a pet in a car during very hot weather.
