06/30/2015
Hello Followers!!
Today I am going to post some information about Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke! Getting into these HOT summer months I decided to post some tips on how to keep cool and what to do in these emergency situations!
Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke is something that can affect everyone. These are caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures- other factors can affect someone's ability to get a heat emergency are chromic illness (heart disease), High humidity in lower temperatures, dehydration and low salt (electrolyte) productions and even age can affect us!
How can you tell which is which? Heat Exhaustion is demonstrated by having either pale or pink skin- but the skin is DRENCHED in sweat! The internal body temperature is slightly above normal (above 37 degrees Celsius)- Sweating is the bodies best way to try and cool itself. The person will typically be nauseous, tired, have a headache, weak muscles and even cramps. heat exhaustion is not a 9-1-1 call even though it is still an emergency because this can get worse very quickly. Have the person rest in a shaded or an air conditioned area, offer them water to sip on (small sips- anything bigger will cause them to vomit) and removes excess clothing as well as fanning them.
If this was to progress, it could turn into heat stroke. Heat stroke is when the body temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius. To put this kind of heat into perspective; in Canada, the absolute hottest we are allowed to have our hot tubs is 40 degrees Celsius- your body is now hotter then a hot tub! This is extremely dangerous and life threatening and 9-1-1 must be called immediately! Unlike heat exhaustion, the body is no longer sweating because the body can no longer afford to loose that moisture! The skin is cherry red and dry as a bone. Get the person out of the heat ASAP as they can loose consciousness, have seizure, and it can even cause a person to have a rapid weak heart rate as well as rapid breathing- it is possible for the person to even stop breathing! Act fast- we need to cool the person any way possible; putting fans around them, packing their groin area, armpits, behind the knees and neck with ice or, if it is possible give them an 'ice bath' or put then into an ice cold shower. You need to cool this person any way possible as fast as you can!
Won't this cause the person to go into shock? Maybe- but the long term injuries and effects involved with heat stroke are much worse. such heat can cause debilitating damage to the muscles and tissues of the body- it can even affect the way your heart works. If you cannot cool the body down, everything will stop functioning which will result in death. Shock can be treated after the person is cooled.
One of the biggest issues with heat stroke is having pets and children unattended in a car while it is not running. Studies have shown that leaving a toddler in a car with the windows up when the outside temperature is 25 degrees Celsius can cause their internal body temperature to hit 40 degrees in less then ten minutes. Even with the windows down, the car can get up 35+ degrees in ten minutes. Leaving them in the car running can be an issues too because we would sure hate for someone to steal your car with your kids in it! This is even worse is for pets- we as peoples have the ability to sweat and try to cool ourselves down, but dogs do not so they can overheat much quicker. Please leave your dogs at home and take your kids inside!
So, I finish by saying- take breaks from the heat, avoid to hottest parts of the day, drink lots of water (throw in a bottle of PowerAde every now and then to help replace the salt loss from sweating), protect your eyes and head with shade, wear cool easy breathing clothing (cotton!) and listen to your body! Have a safe, 'cool' summer everyone!
Feel free to share! I love questions so if anyone has questions feel free to ask!
