Floridians are fortunate in the sense that we get to enjoy warmer weather for much of the year. But when you’re doing activities in the heat, it’s important to pay attention to your health.
The heat and humidity can cause emergencies like heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration, according to GuideWell Emergency Doctors.
The best way to avoid these issues is through prevention. The following are ways you can be proactive in preventing these issues:
- Avoid strenuous activity or being outdoors during the hottest time of the day.
- Always carry water with you, and drink it often, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Consider how much caffeine and alcohol you drink, as they can cause you to lose more body fluid.
- Know side effects of any medications you might be taking. Some medicines can increase the body’s core temperature or decrease the body’s ability to remain hydrated.
- Take frequent breaks to rest and be in the shade.
- Wear clothing that is light colored and lightweight, as well as a wide-brimmed hat.
- Wear sunscreen to help prevent sunburn.
Try as we might, sometimes we can still end up in circumstances that don’t allow us to follow through on prevention as well as we should. In those cases, there are signs and symptoms to be aware of related to heat illnesses.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke, which is when the body temperature reaches 104 degrees or higher, can come with several symptoms, including a rapid pulse, the absence of sweating and difficulty breathing. It can also lead to agitation, confusion, hallucinations, seizures and even coma.
Because heat stroke can be fatal, doctors with GuideWell Emergency Doctors say it’s important to:
- Call 911 immediately if someone is showing these signs.
- Do not give the person anything to drink. Instead, move them to a cooler place.
- Try to lower their temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath.
Heat exhaustion
If someone could be suffering from heat exposure but isn’t showing life-threatening symptoms, there are other heat-related conditions they might be experiencing. One of those is heat exhaustion. This can happen when the body overheats after having been exposed to high temperatures and high humidity.
Someone who is suffering from heat exhaustion can experience an array of symptoms, including:
- Nausea and/or vomiting.
- Fatigue and/or weakness.
- Headache.
- Muscle cramps.
- Faintness or dizziness.
- Cold, clammy skin.
- Heavy sweating.
- Weak or rapid pulse.
Heat exhaustion can be made worse from strenuous physical activity.
According to GuideWell Emergency Doctors, if someone is suffering from heat exhaustion, you should move them to a cool place, loosen their clothing, have them sip on water and put wet clothes on their body or take a cool bath.
If someone you know experiences these symptoms or their symptoms worsen or last longer than one hour -- and they don’t improve with rest or hydration -- seek medical attention.
Dehydration
Many of us don’t drink enough water, but when someone loses more fluid than they take in, it becomes difficult for the body to carry out its normal functions.
People who are dehydrated can show symptoms like:
- Dark yellow urine.
- Dizziness.
- Dry mouth.
- Dry skin.
- Fainting.
- Headache.
- Infrequent urination.
- Muscle cramps.
If you’re finding it difficult to rehydrate, or if symptoms worsen, GuideWell ER doctors say you should seek medical attention.
GuideWell Emergency Doctors, which combines the ease of a walk-in clinic with the medical team and equipment of an ER, sees patients of all ages and at an average of half the cost of the average ER visit.
Click or tap here to learn more about other risks that the heat can bring, as well as the best ways to prevent and respond to heat illnesses.