What is Heat Stroke and What to do if you have It?

July 20, 2023

How to treat a heat stroke — Photo Credit: Pixabay

Getting heat stroke can be very dangerous, especially if you don’t know how to identify it and have no idea what to do if it happens to you.

You can open Table of Contents show

Thanks to climate change, summers are now hotter and heat waves are becoming more common , and that means we need to be more careful about things like hydration, sunscreen, and how much time we spend in the sun.

Yes, being in the sun is good and can help you get some vitamin D (which has many health benefits), even mental health, but even good things can turn bad or dangerous if we don’t take precautions, and The sun can be very harmful, and not only because of skin cancer or burns.

Heat stroke is also a dangerous possibility, but if you identify the signs and know how to react and what to do, then you don’t have to worry about it.

What is a Heat Stroke?

Heat stroke not only refers to your temperature rising, but when you suffer it you can experience all kinds of internal damage, which can cause many more problems.

Heat stroke occurs when your body temperature rises rapidly and you are unable to cool down. It can be life-threatening by causing damage to the brain and other vital organs. It can be caused by strenuous activity in the heat or by being in a hot place for too long.”

What happens with this is that it can happen at any time and even if you are completely healthy and you are young, and it can cause death, for this reason it is recommended to try to moderate the time spent outdoors, especially in the hours where the temperatures are higher and the sun is stronger.

It’s more common than you think and can happen without you noticing (which is why you shouldn’t leave kids or pets in cars out in the sun).

The Symptoms of Heat Stroke Identified

Fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) or higher
Changes in mental status or behavior, such as confusion, agitation, and slurred speech
Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
nausea and vomiting
reddened skin
rapid pulse
Fast breathing
Headache
Fainting
Seizure
Eat

How to Treat a Heat Stroke?

To prevent Heat stroke from becoming lethal (it is especially dangerous for children and the elderly), it is important to act quickly, trying to cool the person down and lower the temperature.

The Clinic has these recommendations for treating heat stroke:

Place ice in the neck area, armpits and groin
Drinking drinks with a salt content, such as sports drinks or salt water
Lie down in a shady area where the air flows
If possible, soak in cold water
Spray water on the body and blow air to evaporate, helping to cool
Monitor breathing and remove anything that may block it
Remove clothing, especially if it is tight or heavy

The clinic also says that it is important to avoid giving medication without first consulting a doctor, as this can make the situation worse. In extreme cases, you have to call an ambulance or take the person to the hospital, where they can give you better treatment and better monitoring of your vital signs.