Spending time outdoors on a hot, humid day can be downright uncomfortable. If you’re not careful, it also increases your risk of heat-related illness, such as heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Heatstroke is a condition that can cause serious health complications or even death and should be considered a medical emergency. Heatstroke occurs when your body struggles to regulate your body temperature. Although heatstroke can occur any time it’s hot, the condition is more likely to happen if it’s hot and humid. That’s because it’s more difficult for sweat to evaporate from your skin due to increased moisture in the air. Evaporation provides a natural cooling effect that prevents overheating.
It’s important to be able to identify common heatstroke symptoms. Knowing how to avoid heat-related illness that can lead to heatstroke can also protect your health this summer.
Heatstroke Symptoms
If you have heatstroke, you may develop one or more of these symptoms:
If you or anyone else experiences these signs and symptoms, call 911 immediately. Move to a cool place while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Remove extra clothing, lie down with legs raised and sip water or a sports drink. Resting in a tub filled with cool (not cold) water or applying cool compresses to the groin, neck and armpits will help lower body temperature.
How to Prevent Heatstroke
Although heatstroke is a very dangerous condition, it’s easy to prevent it by following these steps:
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