Wellness Center

How to Keep Safe in the Heat

As temperatures soar above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, heat stroke is a deadly possibility. To keep yourself cool, implement the following heat stroke prevention measures in hot weather.

• Drink more fluids — before, during and after exercise. Then drink some more.
  
  
  • Very cold beverages can cause stomach cramps. Choose cool drinks.
    
    
  • Alcoholic, sugary, and caffeinated beverages will cause you to lose fluids. A cool beer might make you feel better temporarily — but in reality it worsens the effects of heat on your body.
    
    
  • Don't wait until you're thirsty — by then you're already dehydrated.
    
    
  • If you're on fluid restriction or diuretics, ask your health care provider how much you should drink.
    
    
  • The easiest way to replace essential salt and minerals leached from your body is by drinking fruit juice or a sports beverage. If you are on a low-salt diet, check with your health provider before downing a sports beverage.
    
    
  • Do not use salt tablets unless specifically directed by your health care provider to do so.
    
    
• Slow down. Put off strenuous activity until the weather cools. If you must hoe the garden (for example), get up early. It's usually cooler between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.
  
  
  • If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity immediately and head for a cool area — or at least the shade — and rest.
    
    
  • When a summer heat wave hits, avoid exercising until you've acclimated to the temperature. When you exercise, drink 16 to 32 ounces of cool (not cold) fluids every hour.
    
    
  • If you have an outdoors job (such as construction), take it easy. When possible, take shorter, more frequent breaks in an air-conditioned (or shaded) area. Try spritzing yourself with water to keep your skin cool.
    
    
• Rest often. Even if you're accustomed to strenuous work, the heat will put an additional stress on your body.
  
  
• If you can, stay indoors, where it's air-conditioned.
  
  
  • If you don't have air conditioning, stay on the lowest floor possible. Better yet, go to a shopping mall, library, or other place that does have air conditioning.
    
    
  • A fan might make you feel more comfortable, but it does nothing to cool your body. Instead, take a cool shower, soak your feet in a cold bucket of water, or wrap yourself in a wet sheet.
    
    
• Keep the sun off. Wear a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher). Sunburn decreases your body's ability to cool itself, and causes fluid loss.
  
  
• Wear appropriate clothing. When you're indoors, wear as little clothing as possible. While outdoors, wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
  
  
• Eat smaller meals, more frequently.
  
  
  • Eat foods that don't require cooking. Using the stove or oven will raise the temperature inside your house.
    
    
  • Avoid high-protein foods. They increase your body's metabolic heat.
    
    
• Keep alert to signs of heat-caused health problems.

If you've had heat stroke, you're at greater risk for getting it again.

Sources:

1. Tips on Managing Heat and Heat-Related Illnesses. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ od/oc/media/pressrel/ r2k0803.htm. Accessed February 21, 2007.

2. Extreme Heat: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at:http://aepo-xdv-www.epo.cdc.gov/ wonder/prevguid/p0000449/ p0000449.asp. Accessed February 21, 2007.

3. Heat Waves. American Red Cross. Available at: http://www.redcross.org/ services/prepare/ 0,1082,0_243_,00.html. Accessed February 21, 2007.

This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis of specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt professional medical attention if you have a particular concern about your health or specific symptoms.