While warm weather can be nice and enjoyable, excessively hot weather poses health hazards, including dehydration and potentially life-threatening conditions like heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
It is important to be aware of the risks, understand safety measures, recognize warning signs of heat-related illnesses and how to provide first aid when spending time outdoors.
Risks of Hot Weather
Heat Cramps: This occurs when excessive sweating leads to significant loss of salt and water, resulting in muscle pain or spasms. If you experience heat cramps, you should:
- Immediately move to a cool place
- Drink water
- Have a cold shower or bath
- Seek medical help if the cramps last for over 1 hour
Heat Exhaustion: This occurs when the body loses significant amounts of salt and water due to excessive sweating and can sometimes require medical attention. People with heat exhaustion may experience:
- Heavy sweating
- Weakness
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fast or weak pulse rate
If you experience symptoms of heat exhaustion, you should:
- Immediately move to a cool place
- Take off any excess clothes
- Take small sips of cool water or drinks
- Cool your body using wet clothes, fanning or a cold packs under the armpits
- Seek immediate medical help if these do not work within 30 minutes or if it gets worse
Heat Stroke: This occurs when the body temperature becomes dangerously high and the body is no longer able to cool itself down. It is a life threatening emergency requiring immediate medical treatment. People may experience:
- High body temperature (>40oC or 104oF)
- Confusion or lack of coordination
- Fast heart beat
- Nausea or vomiting
- Loss of consciousness or seizures
If someone around you is having a heat stroke, you should:
- Call the emergency medical services
- Move them to a cool place
- Remove any excess clothing
- Try to cool them down anyway you can, for instance, by spraying cool water, fanning them or using a sponge soaked in cool water on their body.
How to Stay Safe in Hot Weather
There are many measures you can take to stay safe in the sun and prevent yourself from experiencing heat-related illness. Some of these include:
- Stay Hydrated: you should try to drink plenty of water or sports drinks to replace the fluids and the salts you lose when you sweat. You can carry a water bottle with you as you move around to ensure you always have some water with you. Avoid caffeinated or alcoholic drinks as these can cause dehydration.
- Protect yourself from the sun: It is best to avoid going out during the hottest parts of the day which is usually between 11am and 3pm. If you must go out at this time, you should:
- Use Sunscreen (and regularly reapply it)
- Wear light colored and loose fitting clothes
- Wear a hat and sunshades
- Take frequent breaks in the shaded areas or indoors to avoid getting heat exhaustion
- Keep your home cool: keeping your home cool in hot weather is vital but it can be quite challenging. You can try:
- Closing blinds and curtains in areas exposed to direct sunlight during the day
- Move to cooler part of the house, especially for sleeping
- Shut windows during the hottest parts of the day and open them when the air outside is cooler than the air inside
- Turn off any lights or electrical appliances when not in use
- Eat light meals: In hot weather, eating light meals can help you maintain a cooler boddy temperature and opting for foods with high water content such as water melon, cucumber, lettuce etc can help you stay hydrated.
