Normally, your body maintains a healthy temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, regardless of whether you are in a hot or cold climate. Prolonged exposure to hot, humid temperatures can make it harder for sweat to evaporate off of your body, which can raise your internal body temperature. When this occurs, you can experience a severe, life-threatening illness called heat stroke or sun stroke. Seek shade from the sun and emergency medical care if you develop any of the side effects of heat stroke.
High Body Temperature
A high body temperature after prolonged sun exposure is a characteristic side effect of heat stroke. Internal body temperature can rise above 102 degrees Fahrenheit, warn health officials at PDR Health, a medical information website provided by the publishers of the Physicians' Desktop Reference. If you develop heat stroke, your body is unable to regulate your body temperature, which can continue to increase until you receive medical treatment. An excessively high body temperature can cause additional side effects, including headache, muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting.
Disorientation or Confusion
You can experience severe confusion or disorientation as a side effect of heat stroke. A high internal body temperature can affect the way in which your brain transmits signals throughout your body. As a result, you may begin to see and hear things that are not present (hallucinations) or have difficulty speaking or communicating with other people, explain doctors at the Mayo Clinic.
Seizure
Patients who develop heat stroke can experience seizure as a side effect of this medical condition, report doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. A seizure can lead to involuntary muscle spasms or tremors and can be accompanied by loss of consciousness or headache.
Flushed and Dry Skin
Heat stroke develops when your body is unable to cool itself off through sweating. As a result, patients with heat stroke often exhibit flushed, hot skin that is dry to the touch. Certain patients may have moist, flushed skin, especially if heat stroke side effects develop as a result of strenuous physical exercise.
Heart Rate and Breathing Abnormalities
Heat stroke can cause heart rate and breathing abnormalities to arise in affected patients. You may notice that your heart begins to pound and beats more rapidly than usual. Your breathing can also become shallow or rapid, which can contribute to sensations of lightheadedness or dizziness.
Loss of Consciousness
If you develop heat stroke, you can experience sudden weakness, fatigue or dizziness as a side effect of this condition, explains PDR Health. These side effects can cause you to faint or lose consciousness, which may lead to additional injury from falling. Severe heat stroke can cause a coma to occur in certain patients.
