Sam and Emma Johnson tell the National Weather Service about their uncle, who was a victim of heat exhaustion and ended up in the emergency room. Their uncle, a football referee, spent too much time in the sun and got a severe sunburn.
The man didn’t know how to prevent heat exhaustion, or what the best way to deal with it was. He decided that the best treatment was to moisturize his damaged skin, and he chose to use petroleum jelly as a moisturizer. He didn’t know that the petroleum jelly would trap heat, which caused his internal temperature to rise. Despite placing him in an ice bath and trying to remove the petroleum jelly, he required further assistance and went to the emergency room for heat stroke.
With temperatures reaching record levels, it may be important to understand what heat exhaustion is, and how to prevent or treat it when it occurs.
A hot body that does not cool itself
According to the Healthline website, heat exhaustion is a disorder that occurs when the body’s temperature rises in response to external factors, such as high temperatures, without the body being able to cool itself.
The WebMD website explains that this disorder can be considered a reaction of the body to losing a lot of water and salt due to excessive sweating. The more a person sweats, the more the body depletes fluids and essential minerals such as sodium and potassium, which causes the main symptoms of heat exhaustion to appear.
Heat exhaustion can occur even if you are indoors without air conditioning, during successive heat waves.
Heat exhaustion.. sunstroke
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are two different conditions, but they are related. If a person has symptoms of heat exhaustion and does not take quick steps to cool down, he or she may develop heat stroke.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, heat stroke is the most serious heat-related disorder. This disorder occurs when the body cannot control its temperature. Here, the body temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body becomes unable to cool itself.
Heat stroke can be a serious condition, and can lead to permanent brain damage and permanent disability, and its complications may even lead to death.
Symptoms that indicate that a person has sunstroke include the following:
- High body temperature.
- Altered mental state, stuttering, and possibly hallucinations.
- Fainting.
- Inability to sweat.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- High body temperature.
- Feeling dizzy or faint.
- Cold, clammy skin with goose bumps.
- Blurred vision.
- Headache, nausea, vomiting, and excessive sweating.
- Rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing.
- Low blood pressure when standing.
- Decreased urine output.
Treatment and prevention
To reduce the risk of heat exhaustion, there are some simple things you can do when the weather is hot, according to the Healthline website, including:
- Stay in a cool place as much as possible: If you don’t have air conditioning at home, you don’t have to stay home and endure the consequences of the high temperature. You can look for the nearest public place with air conditioning, whether it’s a public library or a shopping mall. You can go there and spend the hottest times of the day, provided that the place is close to your home, so that you don’t have to endure the long commute in the heat.
- Try to protect yourself from sunburn: Sunburn can increase your risk of heat-related health problems. To protect yourself from sunburn, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, and reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating heavily.
- Avoid going out in hot weather: For example, if you want to exercise outside, do so early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the hottest times of the day.
- Wear light-colored, lightweight clothing: Here you should know that dark colors absorb heat, which may increase the body temperature. It is better to wear light-colored clothes and to be made of light fabrics and materials as much as possible.
- Try to keep the sun off your head and face: If you have to go out during hot weather, make sure to keep the sun off your head and face, as this will help you control your body temperature. To do this, you can wear a lightweight sun hat.
- Keep your body hydrated: During hot weather, you should always keep a bottle of water with you so you can drink from it frequently. Not having water near you can make you forget to drink water or be lazy about it. Not drinking water can make you dehydrated, a condition that occurs when you lose more fluids than you take in. Dehydration can have serious and sometimes life-threatening complications.
When you suffer from heat exhaustion, do the following:
- Try to cool down your body by taking a cool shower and moving to a shaded area or a place with air conditioning.
- Drink water or sports drinks, taking small sips over about an hour rather than drinking large amounts quickly.
- Remove any heavy clothing or excess accessories.
- Apply ice packs or wet towels to the body, especially the forehead, wrist, back of the neck, or lower arms.
- If you do not feel better within an hour of doing these procedures, seek medical help immediately.
- Remember that untreated heat exhaustion can develop into heat stroke, which is a serious condition as mentioned above.