Heat Exhaustion
Everything You Should Know About Heat Exhaustion And Heat Stroke
During the summer months, you can lose track of time when you are working or having fun in the sun and this can lead to some very serious medical conditions, without you even realizing that something is wrong. It starts with dehydration, when you do not drink enough fluids to replace what you are sweating out. From there, it can progress into two more serious conditions, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, signs that your body cannot handle the heat, and is shutting down to protect itself. We want you to know as much as possible about the warning signs of heat stress and how you can prevent this from happening to you.
Want to know more about preventing heat exhaustion? All of us at Trinity Primary Care want you to stay safe while you have fun this summer. Call us today for tips on beating the heat the healthy way.
What is Heat Exhaustion?
One of the biggest mistakes you can make during the summer months is to expose yourself to the sun’s rays without good protection and without replacing the fluids you sweat out. Before long, you start to feel a little dizzy and disoriented from being out in the sun too long. This is the start of a condition known as heat stress, which is made up of two stages: exhaustion, and heat stroke.
In the first phase, you may experience symptoms such as sudden and drenching sweats, cold and clammy skin, and feelings of anxiety and fatigue. The best thing to do if this happens to you is to get under shade immediately, apply cold compresses to your skin and begin drinking plenty of fluids, preferably containing some of the minerals you have been losing all along in your sweat. The most important thing you can do is to cool down, slowly, and do not go back out into the sun without protection the rest of the day.
The Difference between Exhaustion and Heat Stroke
A far more serious condition than heat exhaustion is heat stroke, which happens when your body cannot cool itself down quick enough to compensate for the prolonged exposure to the sun. During heat stroke, your internal temperature will spike, causing a high fever, red face and skin that is way too hot to the touch. The fever will cause your blood pressure to rise, your pulse to race and you will be left feeling disoriented, dizzy, nauseated, and so fatigued that you cannot move on your own. This is a serious matter, because your body is beginning to shut down because it cannot cool down otherwise. Summon medical help immediately, and do not move about until help arrives. Make every effort to cool the skin, and keep the stricken person’s legs elevated to take stress off the heart and reduce blood pressure.
Heat Exhaustion
Everything You Should Know About Heat Exhaustion And Heat Stroke
During the summer months, you can lose track of time when you are working or having fun in the sun and this can lead to some very serious medical conditions, without you even realizing that something is wrong. It starts with dehydration, when you do not drink enough fluids to replace what you are sweating out. From there, it can progress into two more serious conditions, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, signs that your body cannot handle the heat, and is shutting down to protect itself. We want you to know as much as possible about the warning signs of heat stress and how you can prevent this from happening to you.
Want to know more about preventing heat exhaustion? All of us at Trinity Primary Care want you to stay safe while you have fun this summer. Call us today for tips on beating the heat the healthy way.
What is Heat Exhaustion?
One of the biggest mistakes you can make during the summer months is to expose yourself to the sun’s rays without good protection and without replacing the fluids you sweat out. Before long, you start to feel a little dizzy and disoriented from being out in the sun too long. This is the start of a condition known as heat stress, which is made up of two stages: exhaustion, and heat stroke.
In the first phase, you may experience symptoms such as sudden and drenching sweats, cold and clammy skin, and feelings of anxiety and fatigue. The best thing to do if this happens to you is to get under shade immediately, apply cold compresses to your skin and begin drinking plenty of fluids, preferably containing some of the minerals you have been losing all along in your sweat. The most important thing you can do is to cool down, slowly, and do not go back out into the sun without protection the rest of the day.
The Difference between Exhaustion and Heat Stroke
A far more serious condition than heat exhaustion is heat stroke, which happens when your body cannot cool itself down quick enough to compensate for the prolonged exposure to the sun. During heat stroke, your internal temperature will spike, causing a high fever, red face and skin that is way too hot to the touch. The fever will cause your blood pressure to rise, your pulse to race and you will be left feeling disoriented, dizzy, nauseated, and so fatigued that you cannot move on your own. This is a serious matter, because your body is beginning to shut down because it cannot cool down otherwise. Summon medical help immediately, and do not move about until help arrives. Make every effort to cool the skin, and keep the stricken person’s legs elevated to take stress off the heart and reduce blood pressure.