Need to beat the heat? Here's some tips to make it through final dog days of summer
Florida is experiencing record-high temperatures, making for some extremely hot days.
The National Weather Service predicts temperatures in the high 90s throughout the weekend, almost 10 degrees hotter than historical average temperatures for this time of year.
University of Florida Director of Community Emergency Medicine Matt Shannon shared some tips on how to beat the heat:
Do workouts before 11 a.m.
It’s best to get primary outdoor activities done in the early morning; on many days it can get too hot before noon. Any heavy exercise when it’s hotter than 90 degrees can become detrimental.
Know the signs of heat stroke and injury
Some tell-tale signs of a heat emergency are vomiting, severe dehydration, confusion and disorientation. However, there are different types of heat-related illnesses and injuries.
Heat rash: This is commonly seen as a red rash with a fine, bumpy feel in the folds of someone's neck or, particularly for children, across their chest and back. The rash usually goes away within a few days, or when the person is no longer exposed to heat. Putting a cool cloth on the area to keep the person cool is Shannon’s recommended treatment, more so than ointments and creams.
Heat cramps: If someone is trying to exercise or doing outdoor activities in the heat, muscle cramps are more likely to occur. However, the time it takes for those muscle cramps to become something serious is not very long and depends on several factors: how hot it is, how soon the person can leave the heat and their overall health.
Heat exhaustion: When experiencing heat exhaustion, the person will start to feel dizzy and lightheaded, and possibly nauseous. Sometimes, people experience vomiting as well.
If someone is feeling the symptoms, they should get into air conditioning immediately and cool off. It is recommended to hydrate as soon as possible and drink fluids with electrolytes, such as Gatorade or Powerade. A liter an hour for the first couple hours is how much someone should try to drink. If they can’t keep down fluids and are still feeling sick, it’s time to consider the emergency department.
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Heat stroke: Although less common, heat stroke is the most severe heat-related illness and is usually seen surrounding athletic events. The person will be confused, disoriented, vomiting and have dry skin due to a lost ability to sweat. Their core temperature will be significantly elevated, usually 104 degrees or higher. Because they can no longer cool themselves, the person becomes the same temperature as their surrounding environment. Rapid cooling is needed for someone in this state and it is not recommended to do that at home. Anyone experiencing this should be brought to the emergency room immediately so trained medical staff can begin rapidly cooling them down, which can involve ice packs, fans and water misters.
Shannon said he has seen about 15 to 20 people with severe heat stroke signs during his medical career.
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Look out for your pets
Although Shannon is more experienced with human medicine than veterinary, he says people walking their dogs should consider doing so on the grass, not pavement.
It’s also important that pets going outside always have access to water.
“These little critters are part of our lives, they’re important to us,” he said. “So if we’re feeling hot and nasty outside, chances are they’re feeling the same effects we are.”
Don’t leave anyone in a car with no air conditioning
The inside of a car can reach temperatures of around 130 degrees once it’s shut off. Children and the elderly are more susceptible to heat-related injury and should never stay in a car with no air conditioning. The same goes for pets.
Choice of hydration is important
Drinking water is good, but straight water doesn’t have the necessary electrolytes needed to be replenished when someone is sweating. If someone will be outside for an extended period of time, they should drink fluids with electrolytes.
It is not recommended to drink alcoholic beverages in the heat, as it is a mild diuretic, meaning someone drinking alcohol will urinate more frequently and dehydrate faster.
Around 8 ounces of fluids every hour or two is a reasonable amount, but how much a person drinks really depends on their level of activity, how much sweat they’ll burn and how hot they are. Those who are diabetic should also be careful with sports drinks due to its high sugar content.
Know Florida’s climate
The time it takes to go from feeling slightly sick to a heat-related emergency may not be very long, especially with older people. It’s important to know when it’s too hot, and it is important that people new to the state – and those not – plan their days accordingly.
“Most folks, when they recognize those symptoms, realize intuitively that they know that ‘I need to get in where it’s cool, I need to cool off’ which makes sense,” Shannon said. “But we have lots of people moving to our state every day, and they may not be used to the heat and humidity."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Tips to 'beat the heat' from expert at University of Florida
