Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke | How to Stay Safe in Summer
Posted in First Aid Articles, on July 08, 2018
Summer can be a beautiful season but as with all other beautiful things, it can also be deadly. With the extremely high temperatures in the last few days, we need to be mindful of all the negative things heat can bring along with itself. Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke are just two of the conditions that the extreme heat can cause but they can be rather serious and potentially deadly if we fail to recognize and treat them.
Let's dive a little deeper and discuss what these conditions are, what signs and symptoms accompany them, and what we need to do if we ever come across someone who seems to be suffering from them.
Heat Exhaustion:
What is it?
Heat exhaustion is the result of elevated body temperatures way above the normal range. Victims of Heat Exhaustion often fail to realize that they might be suffering from this condition and tend to chalk off the symptoms to dehydration or tiredness.
What does it look like?
While it is normal for anyone to sweat while they're out and about in the heat, victims of Heat Exhaustion sweat heavily and profusely while at times feeling sluggish, fatigued and especially nauseous. Additionally, Heat Exhaustion victims tend to suffer from dizziness, confusion, disorientation, and overall lowered levels of consciousness.
What to do:
If you come across someone who's sweating heavily and shows any of the signs or symptoms above (not necessarily all of them), introduce yourself and get their consent to help them. Then you need to proceed to remove them from the hot environment and direct heat and place them in a cooler environment. You essentially want to lower their body's core temperature but keep in mind that the body can go into shock if you try to cool them down too quickly (i.e. submerging them into an ice bath). One of the methods that we suggest and teach to our candidate at Lifeguarding Academy is to wet pieces of cloth and place them on the following areas of the victim's body:
- Back of neck
- Stomach
- Lower Back
- Groin Area
- Armpits
Once the victim's levels of consciousness increase and they seem to be more alert, you can go ahead and give them some water to drink and attempt to rehydrate them.
Heat Stroke:
What is it?
Heat Stroke happens when the victim's temperature raises to such dangerous levels that the body decides to preserve the little water it has left and therefore the victim stops sweating. This, however, causes the victim's temperature to rise really dangerous and fatal levels, really fast.
What does it look like?
This person will be semi-conscious or even unconscious and non-responsive. Their skin will have red patches (red means hot!) and will even feel hot to the touch. Most importantly, their skin will be dry and there will be no signs of sweating as all the sweat has already evaporated.
What to do:
1- Call 911
2- Remove the victim from the environment and into a place with AC. You need to be rapidly cooling this person down the best way you can. We often suggest spraying the victim with water and fanning them at the same time to simulate sweating and help bring down their temperature but at the end of the day, you might have to make do with anything that you have access to. Remember the bottom line is to bring down their temperature as effectively as you can.
To recap, the best way to handle these and really any heat emergencies is to avoid them and stay hydrated. As our temperatures continue to rise, try to avoid being outside between the hot hours (12pm-6pm) and if you really have to be outside, continuously drink sips of water even if you don't feel thirsty as the body only starts to feel thirsty after its already dehydrated and at that point drinking any amount of water can only really replenish about 50% of what your body actually needs. If you see someone outside in need of help, please get them some water, try to get them some shade, try to educate them about heat exhaustion and heat stroke. You may not know it, but you will be saving a life.
As always, do not hesitate to contact Lifeguarding Academy to ask any questions you may have about these heat emergencies (or anything else!). We are trying to save more people through educating you.
