What You Need to Know About Heat Exhaustion
The Heat is On – Are You Being Safe?
It’s well-known that summer in Arizona can be challenging for a variety of reasons. Energy bills increase thanks to running the air conditioning more often, outdoor metal surfaces, seatbelts, and leather car seats become instruments of torture, and outdoor activity can be dangerous if precautions aren’t taken. As Fountain Hills begins to enter triple-digit season, we want to bring awareness to a common, and serious, medical condition that can arise from outdoor activity in the heat.
Heat exhaustion can occur with exposure to high temperatures, often during physical activity. When the body overheats, often caused by an excessive loss of water and salt (usually through sweating), heat exhaustion can set in.
When left untreated, complications from heat exhaustion can lead to very serious consequences including organ damage or death. Because of this potential severity, it’s important to come in to get checked by your Fountain Hills Medical Center team right away if you’re experiencing the following when sweating and/or in a warm or hot environment:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Irritability
- Elevated body temperature
- Decreased urination
- Weak, rapid pulse
- Cold, pale, and clammy skin
- Fainting
Our medical center will assess and care for your symptoms and quickly determine the best level of care for you between our medical clinic, our urgent care center, or our emergency room. Because we’re an all-in-one medical center, we remain constantly equipped to provide rapid and appropriate care for your heat exhaustion care in Fountain Hills.
There are a few conditions that can make someone more susceptible to heat exhaustion or other heat-related illnesses. These conditions include old age, having a sunburn or fever, obesity, heart disease, poor circulation, and drug or alcohol use.
However, with a few simple considerations, you can prevent heat-related illnesses while enjoying your favorite activities. Here are a few tips for staying safe and healthy during warm weather activities:
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Since sweating rids the body of needed salts and minerals, we recommend hydrating with sports drinks containing electrolytes and with water. Electrolytes can include the essential minerals of calcium, sodium, phosphate, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. It can take less than an hour for the body to start losing electrolytes in warm environments, which are needed for your body’s systems to remain working properly. Because caffeine can be dehydrating, avoid caffeinated beverages.
Be choosy about the time of activities
Avoid midday or afternoon outdoor activities, and ensure that you allow time for incremented rest in shade or in air-conditioned areas.
Grab a friend
Because heat-related illnesses can cause disorientation, fatigue, or dizziness, you may not be the best judge of whether you need to seek medical help, or when you need to take a break. You and your friend can serve as heat awareness accountability partners, providing each other with reminders to use sunscreen, rest, drink fluids, or take a snack break.
Take it easy
If you’re starting a new exercise or trying to ramp up your activity level, be sure to take it slow in warm weather. If the activity makes your heart beat faster or harder than normal, or affects your ability to take a full breath, find a cool area and rest.
While we’re big advocates of being active during every season, it’s very important to make safe and smart decisions when in elevated temperatures. Your medical professional can answer your heat exhaustion questions and provide some ideas for spring and summer activities that can keep you active and healthy. With a few precautions, you can avoid heat-related illnesses in Fountain Hills, even as the thermometer continues to climb.
