Beat The Heatstroke This Summer With These Tips
Summers are approaching and we all are already sweating. It's time to bid adieu to the happening winter season and say hello to the sunny days. The first sign of summers is the hot and humid climate that makes us take out our loose clothes and rock the streets with sunglasses. There are many things that make us worry about this season. Those sun rays affect our skin and cause sunburns, sweating, dehydration, and many more issues. The major issue that people face is heatstroke. You can take many things into consideration that causes heat stroke major being the overexposure to the sun. Even if you do excessive exercise and don’t keep yourself hydrated then also you might develop heatstroke.
Below are the reasons that cause heatstroke:
Dehydration: In summers it is always advised to drink an adequate amount of water normally 10 to 12 glasses daily. Water can keep you hydrated and prevent you from the heatstroke but the opposite can even risk your life. Dehydration is the major reason that causes many issues in your body.
Overexposure to heat: If your body is exposed to the heat or sun for a prolonged period than you may even get a heart stroke. Hence, the best time to go out is after 4 pm. Even if you have to go out then you must take a water bottle along with you and cover yourself properly.
Clothes: Wearing fabrics that don’t absorb sweat and moisture will only add to your discomfort. Dark colors trap more heat and this leads to a rise in your body temperature
Exercise: Keeping your body healthy is good. But, over-exercising and then a sudden exposure in the sun may cause you a major heat stroke.
Food: Avoid heaving heavy meals in summers as your body might get exhausted while digesting the food and your body heats up.
Heatstroke is very easy to detect and you can simply defend your body when you get one. Many people are confused between heatstroke and dehydration. Here are a few symptoms of heatstroke that are very common to detect.
The rise in body temperature: The normal body temperature is 97 F or 98 F. A slight rise due to heat could raise your temperature to a degree or two but heatstroke makes it to a soaring 102 F or 104F. It’s not because of the fever but the stroke.
Mood swings: When you face a heat stroke your mood swings become very frequent. It is believed that heatstroke plays with your mind and you can even hallucinate due to it. You may even face problems in speaking and get confused easily. If one doesn’t take immediate medical care you can get seizures and even worse you can expect is going in a coma.
Sweating: Your body starts sweating to maintain the body temperature but during the heatstroke it becomes dry. In heat stroke, your body sucks the water in you so that it can perform the regular functions. Your body gets dry and red during the stroke.
Sickness: If you get a heatstroke you will start feeling sick. You may experience dizziness or vomiting even an upset stomach. Once you start falling sick you may even find it hard to breathe and will require an open area so that you can breathe. The heart starts beating faster due to the heat and takes an extra effort to keep up your body temperature.
Head Ache- You will experience severe pain in your head and you may even start comparing it with a migraine but the reason could be loss of water and overexposure to the heat.
Due to the rise in global warming, it is quite hard to avoid the heatstroke and there are a few things that you can practice in order to treat the stroke. The patient could either be you or someone else.
Cool the body: Once someone gets a stroke you need to make sure that you cool his or her body. The best way to provide relief is to wet their head either by pouring some cool water on it or by using a sponge. You can even put them under a fan so that the body temperature stars decreasing and they can have some relief.
Ice packs: Placing an ice pack on certain body parts also helps. You need to search for the areas that have a group of blood vessels in them like armpits, neck or the back. Placing ice4 packs on it will surely help in reducing the body temperature of the patient.
Shower: If you can access a washroom try giving them a cold shower. Make them stand under the running water and it will surely provide some relief to them.
Ice Bath: No we are not talking about ice bucket challenge. That can make the situation worse. Sometimes the sole reason for a heat stroke is vigorous exercise and that is least dangerous. It can be cured by simply giving them an ice bath. Put some ice in a bucket of cold water and pour it on the patient. It provides instant relief and they will be back in their senses.
As it is always believed prevention is better than cure. Here are the few ways that can help you to prevent the heatstroke and will keep you cool even in the soaring temperatures.
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Applying sunscreen every time you go out in the sun is a way to keep those harmful rays of the sun at bay. Always wear the sunscreen of SPF 30 or more.
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Wear loose clothing as tight clothing disturbs the blood circulation of your body and the heat gets trapped in your body. Loose cotton clothing absorbs the moisture and keeps your body cool.
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Keep yourself hydrated in the summers to avoid the stroke. If your body has enough water then the dehydration won’t take place and the body will have enough water to keep functioning normally and no extra efforts will be needed.
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Wearing a cap or hat of breathable material also helps. The cap will help in keeping your head warm and this will eventually help in avoiding the heatstroke.
