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Fitness Facts: The heat is upon us! – GCU Today

Apr 29th, 2020

Connie Colbert, Director of the Canyon Health and Wellness Clinic on GCUs campus.

By Connie ColbertDirector, Canyon Health and Wellness Clinic

Sunday officially marked our first triple-digit temperature day of the year and our first excessive heat warning of 2020, and it kicked off our first heat wave of the season.

Heat can be dangerous, and we all need to take necessary precautions to prevent illness and dehydration.

Anyone can succumb to heat-related illnesses. The body normally cools itself by sweating, but when temperatures are high and sweat does not evaporate quickly, body temperature can rise rapidly.

Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs.

Other factors that increase risk include age, weight, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn and prescription drug and alcohol use.

Heat exhaustionis a relativelymildform of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate hydration. Heat exhaustion is the bodys response to an excessive loss of the water and salt contained in sweat.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include:

If heat exhaustion is untreated, it may progress to heat stroke. Seek medical attention immediately if symptoms are severe or if the person has heart problems or high blood pressure.

Otherwise, help the personcool off, and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than onehour.

Cooling measures that may be effective include:

Heat strokeis defined as a core body temperature of more than 105 degrees F and brain dysfunction. The bodys temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down.Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.

Warning signs of heat stroke vary but may include:

If you see any of these signs, you may be dealing with a life-threatening emergency. Call 911 while you begin cooling the person.

Get the person to an air-conditioned or shady area and cool them rapidly using whatever methods you can. For example:

Monitor body temperature, and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102 degrees F.

Sometimes a persons muscles will begin to twitch uncontrollably as a result of heat stroke. If this happens, prevent self-injurybut do not place any object in the mouth and do not give fluids. If there is vomiting, make sure the airway remains open by turning the person on his/her side.

Heat crampsare muscle pains or spasms usually in the abdomen, arms or legs that may occur in association with sweating during strenuous activity. If you have heart problems or are on a low-sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps.

If medical attention is not necessary, take these steps:

Sunburndamages the skin and should be avoided. Although the discomfort is usually minor and healing often occurs in about a week, more severe sunburn may require medical attention.

Consult a health care provider if the sunburn affects an infant younger than 1year old or if these symptoms are present:

Also, remember these tips when treating sunburn:

Heat rashis a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age but is most common in young children.

Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters. It is more likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, in the groin, under the breasts and in elbow creases.

The best treatment for heat rash is to provide a cooler, less humid environment. Keep the affected area dry. Dusting powder may be used to increase comfort.

Be prepared before you step out of the house!

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Fitness Facts: The heat is upon us! - GCU Today

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