With rising temperatures during the day while almost everyone is active on the streets, sun or heat stokes is a risk that comes to all people exposed to the sun. Heat strokes could become a serious threat to your health, depending on several factors, and they should be taken seriously.
Although rare, heat strokes can kill or cause damage to the brain and other internal organs.
Heat strokes can occur due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures—usually in combination with dehydration—that causes the body’s temperature control system to fail. Common symptoms of a heat stroke include: nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, seizures, disorientation, confusion, sometimes loss of consciousness, and having red, hot, and dry skin.
If someone suffers from a heat stroke, you need to contact medical help as soon as possible. In the meantime, you need to reduce the body temperature of the individual by any means (cooling with ice, exposure to cooler air, immersing them in cool water, etc.) until the individual receives medical assistance.
In a heat wave, it is best to stay in an air-conditioned environment and only be outdoors is absolutely necessary.
In order to prevent having a heat stroke, these simple steps can be followed:
- Wear light and light colored clothes to prevent further heat absorption
- Wear a hat
- Use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher
- Drink extra water or fluids (that does not include coffee, tea, or other diuretics)
- If you are an athlete and exercising outdoors, take extra precaution and consume extra water, at least once every 20 minutes even if you are not thirsty
- Monitor the color of your urine, the darker the urine, the higher the sign of dehydration. Always be sure to drink enough fluids to keep your urine lighter in color
Before increasing your fluid intake, you need to check with your doctor, especially if you have a problem with fluid retention, or suffer from any heart, kidney, liver diseases, or from epilepsy.
