Don’t get overheated

Posted: 8/10/2018

With summer in full swing, even short periods of hot weather can cause serious health problems. Doing too much on a hot day, spending too much time in the sun or staying too long in an overheated place can cause heat-related illness. 

Heat exhaustion happens when people spend a lot of time in hot weather. When that happens, the body loses water and other fluids and becomes dehydrated. It’s important to use common sense – if you think you are overheated, you probably are. 

Getting very overheated can cause heat stroke, a medical condition that could result in death. With a heat stroke, a person’s body temperature gets very high and causes damage to internal organs, including the brain. 

Elderly people, babies, children and people with chronic medical conditions are more sensitive to heat stress. Symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Thirst
• Red, warm and dry skin
• Body temperature over 104 degrees Fahrenheit
• Fast breathing and heart rate
• Vomiting
• Muscle cramps
• Confusion or disorientation
• Coma

If you see any warning signs of heat stroke, have someone call 911 for immediate help while you begin cooling down the person.